Alpha Female Tendencies
by Manda517
Summary: All the eligible males at the Jeffersonian, including Booth, are being auctioned off as dates in a bachelor auction. Booth accuses Brennan of being an 'Alpha Female' around him, and she finally decides to embrace the label.
1. The Other Scientist

1. The Other Scientist

It had only been an hour or so, and Temperance Brennan was more than ready to go home. She was obliged to attend these Jeffersonian galas since the benefactors always showed up, but that never made her any more receptive to being there.

The large room was filled with elegant gowns and expensive tuxes. There was orchestra music coming from somewhere, giving the room an aura of elegance. Off to one end of the dance floor was a small platform with a podium. Brennan had already mingled quite a bit, and was now standing near the refreshment table with Angela.

She glanced down to check her that her own dress didn't have any wrinkles. This particular dress was a new favorite of hers. The deep purple silk hugged her gentle curves, and if the many stares from various men in the room were any indication, she looked particularly fetching in that dress. She did remember a particular stunned face. It had taken her partner a full 30 seconds to actually comment that she looked beautiful.

She had to admit that of the men she knew, Seeley Booth knew how to wear a tuxedo the best. She had spent enough time with Angela to know the difference between a rented tux and a tailored one. The tux Agent Booth was wearing accentuated every chiseled angle on his body. Plus, there was something remarkably attractive about a man who knew how to actually tie his own bow tie. Seeley Booth did not wear a clip-on.

This partner of hers was currently being 'entertained' by a leggy blond in a short black dress. Not that Brennan was paying attention to who he was talking to. She was actually focusing on not paying attention when Angela nudged her.

"Sweetie, are you going to actually take advantage of that gorgeous dress and dance with some hot guy or are you going to stand here and be a cupholder all night?"

Brennan set her glass on the table next to her.

"What?" Once again Brennan 'did not know what the meant.'

"There have been at least three different men that have asked you to dance and you've completely ignored every one of them. What is with you?"

While waiting for a response, Angela noticed that Brennan's eyes were once again drawn to her FBI partner.

"Ah, now I see. You're preoccupied with what Booth is up to. I gotta admit, that woman he's talking to is one of the top five hottest women here; you and I being first and second in no particular order."

Brennan crossed her arms defensively. "That dress she is wearing is completely inappropriate for a function like this. The invitation clearly stated this was a black tie affair. Formal attire does not translate to miniskirt."

The slightly icy tone of her friend was not lost on Angela. She smirked at Brennan's unconsciously envious attitude.

"Well if you're jealous, you could always go over and ask him for a dance."

"Ange! I am not jealous. He's just my partner; he can talk to whomever he wants."

Angela laughed and gave Brennan a shove. "Just go over there already. See what happens."

Slightly miffed at Angela's goading, she decided she might as well go talk to Booth. It would just look stupid to walk around with no destination when she was already halfway across the room.

She attempted to put a smile on her face as she approached Booth and his 'friend.' The same 'friend' who had just put her carefully manicured hand on his arm. Booth was wearing one of his many charm smiles, and it seemed to be working. The woman looked completely delighted to be receiving such attention.

Brennan cleared her throat to casually interrupt the two. Booth immediately looked over and gave her a more familiar smile.

"Hey Bones. I was just making a new friend. Let me introduce you two. Bones, this is Dr. Miranda Whitler. Miranda, this is Dr. Temperance Brennan. She's my…"

"Nice to meet you Dr. Whitler." Brennan interrupted. For some reason, she didn't want to be introduced as Booth's partner for the thousandth time.

"Same to you Dr. Brennan."

Booth noticed his partner acting slightly off, and it wasn't due to her lack of social skills. His several years of working with her taught him not to say anything at the moment. Instead, he decided to see where the women would take the conversation.

"So where do you work Dr. Whitler?"

The woman responded with a smile. "I'm a professor of analytical chemistry at John Hopkins University, but I also do consultation work for the Baltimore police department."

Brennan straightened her back slightly. "That is an excellent university, especially among the scientific community. The forensic lab at the Baltimore police department is not near the standards of the Jeffersonian Institute, but I'm certain you improve their credibility."

Standing there watching the two women face off, Booth was almost expecting a cat fight to ensue. Brennan seemed to be radiating tension while Dr. Whitler was apparently oblivious to his partner's attitude.

"Thank you Dr. Brennan. Seeley here was just telling me that he's the FBI liaison to the Jeffersonian." She continued with a smirk. "I'm sure that if I had an FBI agent as sexy as Agent Booth walking around my department, I wouldn't get _anything_ done. The opportunities for distraction would just be limitless."

Booth shifted slightly and watched as Brennan's eyes turned an icy blue. She took a step forward, placing herself directly between Booth and Dr. Whitler.

"_Special_ Agent Booth is MY partner and we have an exceptional record within the FBI. Unlike you it seems, we have serious responsibilities that prohibit us from being easily _distracted_ from our work."

Booth's eyes widened at Brennan's remarks. She certainly was in a mood this evening. He was about to rejoin the conversation when Brennan spoke up.

"Come on Booth, I think we should dance." Without waiting for an acknowledgement from him or Dr. Whitler, she grabbed his hand and walked toward the center of the ballroom.

Booth tried to offer an apologetic smile to Miranda as he was very willingly dragged to dance with his partner.


	2. The Dance

2. The Dance

Still being led by Dr. Brennan, they weaved through the many couples dancing in the ballroom. Booth was rather stunned by her aggressive attitude. Granted, she was often like this when working in the lab or field, but he had never seen her behave quite like this in a social setting.

Feeling like they had walked far enough, Booth tugged on Brennan's hand so that she gently spun around into his arms. Keeping a formal posture, they started dancing. He smiled at her and was rewarded with a small smile.

"So Bones, what was that all about?"

"What are you talking about?" She knew, but she didn't really want to discuss it.

"You know. Back there. Yelling at Miranda."

She tried to sound professional, but her tone was frostier than she realized.

"I didn't yell," technically, "and _Miranda_ was discrediting your work." Her attitude thawed as she continued warmly. "What you do is important and you excel at it."

Booth noticed that she kept referring to 'his' work rather than 'our' work. Still, he was flattered that she thought so well of him.

"Well thanks."

He paused, and then added with a smirk. "Still, you didn't have to scold her."

She saw the twinkle in his eye that told her that he was now joking. She relaxed a little more into his arms and the dance.

They fell into a comfortable silence as they continued to swirl effortlessly around the floor, slowly drawing closer to each other with each turn. He kept pondering over her recent behavior with regards to him. She was always defending his job that, honestly, was probably mostly because of her own professional reputation. Every time an attractive woman approached him, she stiffened. She had recently stopped objecting when he referred to her as 'his scientist' or 'his anthropologist.'

All of a sudden, he came to a rather amusing conclusion. He couldn't stop the smile forming as he pulled back to look at Brennan's face.

"So I've come to a conclusion."

She looked up at him with a questioning look. "About what?"

"About you."

She hesitated. The smile on his face told her she shouldn't be worried about what he was thinking.

"Oh." She swallowed slowly. "What is this brilliant deduction?"

"That you, Bones, have alpha-female tendencies."

"What?" she asked with a laugh. "That's ridiculous. How did you come up with such a unfounded conclusion?"

"I'm serious. From the little amount of anthropology that I've learned from you, I think you've been exhibiting strong alpha-female traits. It's become more recognizable recently and _particularly_ around me."

She was still looking at him with a contemplative look, so he decided to give her a specific example.

"For instance, earlier with Miranda. You strongly defended my honor, a 'strong alpha-male' as you have so often called me. Not only that, but you sensed a threatening presence in her. She was a scientist in 'your' environment, and you made it clear that you are the 'alpha-female' in the room." He paused, and then added another thought. "Plus, you are clearly possessive of me. You didn't hesitate to claim me as YOUR partner."

Clearly proud of his reasoning, Booth wore a smug look on his face, just waiting for her excuses to begin. Brennan however could not think of a single refuting piece of evidence regarding her behavior with the chemistry professor. Not finding anything to say, she decided it would be more diplomatic of her to ignore him completely.

Despite her reaction to his thoughts, she didn't remove herself from his arms. By now they had been dancing through two different songs. Booth mentally noted that it was a very strange conversation to have while gliding around with a beautiful woman in his arms. Although she didn't offer any rebuttal, he couldn't help but wonder what her brilliant mind was thinking.

Deciding that enough of the conversation had focused around her, she brought up a topic that was sure to get Booth squirming. She looked up at him.

"Are you ready to be auctioned off like a piece of furniture this evening?"

Booth immediately groaned. "Bones, you know full well that Angela guilted me into signing up for the auction. She's very persistent you know."

Brennan smiled. "Oh believe me, I know."

Angela had been pestering Brennan ever since Booth had finally caved and signed up. This year, the Jeffersonian Institute was holding an auction to benefit the Children's Hospital. The theme centered around auctioning off date nights with bachelors from the Jeffersonian.

Angela had been in charge of getting the guys in the department to sign up, and convincing Booth to participate had been her number one priority. The man was bound to bring in a good chunk of money. Her number two priority had been getting Brennan to bid for him.

Booth continued to complain.

"I mean, how am I supposed to say no to helping raise money for sick kids. She's lucky it wasn't a charity to help save whales; she never would have gotten me do it." He continued with a defeated tone. "I'll probably be won by some little old lady named Mildred instead of a younger, beautiful woman."

Brennan chuckled at his inevitable doom. "I'm sure it won't be that bad. Though it does seem more likely that little old ladies will have more money than young pretty ones."

She paused to look at his pitiful face. Not liking his current state, she decided to ease his mind. "I'm certain that you will have a good date."

His mood lifted slightly as he considered her words. "You gonna bid on me Bones?"

She gave him a small smirk; his ego knew no bounds. "I find that highly unlikely. It's appalling how they plan on having you paraded around like a bull being auctioned off at market."

Just as he was about to convince her to reconsider, Angela tapped him on the shoulder.

"Ok G-man, time to raise lots of money for some sick but adorable children."

Booth reluctantly let go of Brennan and sighed as he headed off down the hall. Even though he was disappointed that she wasn't going to bid on him, he felt safe in the knowledge that she wasn't going to be bidding on anyone else either. Brennan couldn't help but feel frustrated that they didn't get to finish the fourth song of their dance.

With her hands on her hips, Angela turned to look at her friend.

"Are you planning to spend some money on a certain FBI agent this evening?"

"I told you Ang, this whole auction idea is completely ridiculous. Though I do look forward to seeing Hodgins and Zack up there…maybe Booth too."

"Well I hope so, it took enough energy to wear the man down. I thought I was going to have to call his mother to acquire blackmail material."

Brennan chuckled. "You have no shame at all."

Angela sighed dramatically. "Yeah, well, apparently it didn't work on you." Pulling on Brennan, she continued. "Now come on, let see how much cash our men can bring in."

* * *

A/N ~ Thanks for all the reviews on this one. I've got this one done already since I've posted this elsewhere before, so I should be able to post fairly regularly.


	3. The Other Anthropologist

3. The Other Jeffersonian Anthropologist

The auction was proceeding exactly as Brennan had expected. The auctioneer was a lovely brunette woman who seemed to be enjoying herself immensely. She knew how to make each bachelor look appealing and was extremely good at getting women to make offers. In Brennan's mind, the various men from the Jeffersonian were being completely objectified and there seemed to be a linear relationship between the amount of money spent on a date night and the attractiveness of the bachelor.

About 5 men had already gone. A couple of nerdy-looking scientists had earned almost a $1000 a piece. A doctor from another department had earned a couple thousand. Brennan hadn't noticed what happened with the others. Her mind was occupied by a recent conversation.

Her first instinct was to completely deny everything Booth had said. Being labeled an 'alpha female' by Booth was unnerving. She was not used to having someone else analyze her anthropologically. She actually made it a point to never let anyone get too close to be able to accurately examine her behavior and actions.

However Booth, as usual, had utterly ignored her wishes to remain isolated from the world. Everything he did seemed to disarm her. She had never been prepared for someone to nudge their way so persistently into her life. His 'alpha-male' tendencies were now actually comforting to her in their consistency. She now expected him to worry about her and constantly try to protect her. Not that she needed it, but somehow the gestures had taken on a new meaning to her.

Her concentration was broken as she heard her former graduate student being introduced as the next bachelor to be auctioned off.

As Dr. Zack Addy walked up on the platform, Angela turned to her.

"Aw, doesn't he look handsome all dressed up. Someone is bound to buy a date with him."

"Well why don't you buy one?" Brennan asked with amusement in her voice.

They could hear the bidding begin as Angela laughed. "I am under strict orders from Hodgins to bid for him and only him."

Brennan gave her a smirk. "Since when do you start taking orders?"

Angela crossed her arms. "Good point, but I have to believe that he will take me on a fantastic date when I win. Buying a date with the richest guy here will definitely have its advantages."

The two women enjoyed a laugh as the bidding finished at $4,000.

"Wait, who won?" Brennan asked. She hadn't seen anybody really bidding.

Angela looked around. "Um…oh look. It's that cute little blond from the restoration department. I think her name is Abby or something."

"Well," Brennan observed, "he seems to be happy with the result."

"Yeah. They'll make a cute little couple."

"Ang, it's only one date."

"You never know. They could end up married because of this." She considered this further. "Abby Addy…what an adorable name!"

Brennan sighed and rolled her eyes at her hopelessly romantic friend.


	4. The Bug and Slime Guy

4. The Bug and Slime Guy

After Zack a few other guys were lined up for the auction, giving Brennan a few more minutes to continue her assessment of Booth's observations.

She reminded herself to thinking logically about what he said. He had called her an 'alpha-female,' so she needed to consider what kind of attributes they have. First of all, they tend to be leaders in their environment. They are also very confident in their surroundings. Alpha-females also tend to be very successful in their careers. She started frantically thinking of some characteristics that she did not have.

As she was trying to finish up the list, Angela gave her an elbow to the rib.

"Hey! Ang, that hurt."

"Oh, sorry Sweetie. It's just that Jack is up next."

Brennan was confused by Angela's behavior.

"Why do you need to buy a date with him? You can go out to eat with him whenever you want; you're dating him. Plus you surely don't have thousands of dollars to spend on him."

"Well he gave me his credit card to ensure that I would win the date. Plus, it's for the Children's hospital."

"They take credit cards at these things?" Brennan kept getting surprised by the event.

"Of course. You think they're going to turn down any chance of taking your money?"

Angela couldn't keep the smile off her face at the thought of bidding with Jack's platinum card.

The bidding began with several women involved. He was doing remarkably well in comparison with many of the other bachelors. The bidding had gotten up to $20,000 when everyone dropped out but Angela and one elderly lady. Once the price reached $50,000, Angela dropped out, which was sure to annoy Hodgins.

Now Brennan was even more confused.

"Why did you stop? Jack has more than that to spend."

Angela turned with a satisfied smile on her face.

"Oh I know. But didn't you see that little old lady? She was completely adorable and looked extremely sweet. She was so excited to be bidding on him and I couldn't crush her hopes."

Brennan chuckled. "Jack is going to be highly disappointed with you."

Angela waved it off. "Eh, he'll get over it." She continued with a sexy smile. "I'll make it up to him."

* * *

A/N I suspect you are all wondering when I'll get to the main event....well it depends on how many eligible men are interesting to pay attention to. Muahaha. I know this one was short, so I'll post another chapter this afternoon.

p.s. The name Abby Addy came from a friend of mine over on the Bones message board and it was homage to a character she created.


	5. The Psychiatrist

5. The Psychiatrist

Right after Hodgins walked off the stage with a pout, another familiar figure walked up on the platform. The auctioneer called out in a cheerful voice.

"We have our first entry from the FBI. This young bachelor, despite being only 23, has acquired three degrees from Penn State, Columbia, and American University here in D.C. He is a profiler for the FBI and Jeffersonian and is considered to be one of the best psychiatrists in his field. Let's begin the bidding for Dr. Lance Sweets!"

Brennan turned to Angela.

"Sweets didn't tell us he was going to be here."

Angela chuckled. "That's probably because he was a last minute addition to the auction. I had completely forgotten that he was eligible to be in it since he also works for the Jeffersonian."

Brennan smiled at the slightly squirming Sweets on stage as the bidding began.

"Oh I wish Booth were here to enjoy this." She was thinking that she had plenty of ammunition to keep Sweets distracted in their therapy sessions for weeks. Since Booth wasn't there to see it, she paid close attention to what was going on so she could describe it in great detail later.

The bidding finally ended at $23,000 with a gorgeous red-head standing near them winning the date. She had porcelain skin that was only accentuated by the emerald green gown she was wearing. Her curvacious body filled out the dress exceptionally well.

Brennan and Angela evaluated the woman who had fished out a sizeable sum for the young psychiatrist.

"I'm impressed," Brennan said with eyebrows raised. "Do you know her name?"

"I think I heard someone call her Sam Flynn…or something like that. Think someone said she was a psychiatrist."

"Sam? That's a man's name." Brennan said with sincerity.

"Probably stands for Samantha." Angela looked again at the woman's healthy curves. "Anyways, she is ALL woman. Sweets is going to have his hands full," she finished with a smile.

It seemed that Sweets was particularly happy with results. As he noticed the woman who won the date you could hear a quiet "Awesome!" coming from the stage.

* * *

A/N I know you are all dying for more....the next one I PROMISE is what everybody wants...and I might get around to it later tonight, if not, tomorrow for sure. p.s. Sam Flynn is also after a wonderful character that a friend of mine created for Sweets in her own story....


	6. The Catch of the Night

6. The Catch of the Night

As Sweet basically skipped off to meet his date, another bachelor Brennan didn't know walked up to the stage.

Her thoughts immediately returned to her conundrum. Since she had just listed the qualities of an 'alpha-female' that seemed to describe her painfully well, she decided to objectively dissect her behavior over the past few weeks.

Booth had mentioned that she defended his honor. That seemed only natural to her. He was her partner, and he was excellent at his job. Though, she had to admit that she had been a bit aggressive towards Dr. Whitler earlier. As she thought about it, she had been fairly rude to every woman that Booth had spoken to recently that had shown an interest in him. Somehow thinking about Booth with a woman other than herself had driven her to acting completely ridiculous.

Her thoughts were interrupted as she sensed her partner near the stage. She noticed that someone had just finished bidding on a technician from another department. There didn't appear to be any other men behind Booth; apparently he was the last bachelor to be auctioned off.

She leaned towards Angela.

"Is Booth the last one to go?"

Angela had a large grin on. "Yup!" She gave Brennan a wink. "Saved the best for last."

"Right." She said with dismissal. "It doesn't matter. I'm still not bidding on him."

"Whatever you say Sweetie." Angela looked warily at her friend; she had her own disbelief about what Brennan said.

Brennan watched as Booth stepped onto the platform. The auctioneer looked at the next bachelor and was momentarily stunned. However, she quickly composed herself to make the introduction.

"Well here we have our last, but _certainly_ not least, bachelor of the evening. Special Agent Seeley Booth is an FBI agent who works closely with the Jeffersonian."

Brennan whispered in annoyance, "He's the official liaison to be precise. He often spends more time here than at the Hoover Building."

Angela shushed her in response. The woman continued her description.

"He has the best record within the FBI's eastern district. Besides being an exceptional agent, he's also a dedicated single father and attends a Catholic church regularly." She paused to give all the ladies a chance to get a good look at what she expected would be the catch of the evening.

"Ok ladies, let's reach into those purses and get ready to bid on the incredibly handsome Agent Booth!"

He had a smile on his face, but Brennan could see the apprehension in his eyes. She was almost looking forward to seeing what happened.

The bidding began with much activity. It seemed that nearly every woman wanted to have a date with the hot FBI agent. With attention like this, it was no surprise Booth was so confident in his sexuality.

Angela kept stealing glances at Brennan. She couldn't seem to read what was going on in her head. She truly hoped that Brennan would bid on Booth. It would serve as a perfect launching point for a serious romantic relationship.

Brennan watched with amusement as the women competed for dominance in the bidding. Booth's nervousness about the auction had evaporated by now. He was charming every woman in the building with his smiles and winks. The price had reached $50,000 rather quickly and weeded out every bidder but two.

As they continued to bid, Angela spoke in a whisper.

"It looks like Anne Fairbanks really wants a date. Her father is a big time investor around the D.C. area and she's loaded. It'll be hard to knock her out of the bidding."

"Who's the other bidder?" Brennan asked, trying to sound nonchalant.

As Angela was trying to figure out the exact same thing, Brennan found her. It was Dr. Miranda Whitler. It seemed as if she was bidding with some of her colleagues from John Hopkins.

Angela finally followed Brennan's glare and realized who the woman was.

"Uh oh. Looks like Blondie was more than a little interested."

Something in Brennan snapped – or more accurately – something fell into place. She instantly accepted her 'alpha-female' status. Looking at the two women competing for Booth, she didn't want him to date either one of them. She didn't care if it was for a charity or not. She felt possessive and protective of the strongest alpha-male in the room and she decided to do something about it.

"$100,000," she called out confidently.

There was complete silence as nearly everyone looked to find the newest bidder. Booth immediately found Brennan's face as he raised his eyebrows in surprise. Next to her, Angela was trying desperately not to squeal.

With a smug smile playing on her face, Brennan saw _Miranda_ frantically talking with her friends. The scowl on her face a few moments later revealed they were out of the bidding.

Everyone was now waiting anxiously to see if a counter-bid would be placed. Miss Fairbanks did not disappoint.

"$110,000," she said loudly, but with a hint of hesitation in her voice.

Without even waiting for the new price to sink in, Brennan called out again.

"$200,000."

Instead of silence, this time there was a collective gasp. Angela was fanning herself frantically, trying to calm herself down. If anyone was completely shocked, it was the man on the platform. Seeley Booth was frozen in place as he stared at his partner with eyes wide and jaw dropped.

He was completely mesmerized by Brennan. She was standing regally in her breathtaking gown. At this precise moment, her presence dominated the room as everyone looked at her. The moment seemed entirely surreal as he tried to accept that his beautiful partner had just spent a small fortune to go on a date with him.

It was clear the auction was over. Even without the outrageous price tag, everyone knew that they would lose to Dr. Brennan. The moment was broken as the auctioneer directed the winners to a table where they could make their donations.

Brennan left Angela standing in her own state of shock as she left to go pay. She found her way easily to where the table was located because everyone seemed to quickly move out of her path. She was patiently waiting in line when Booth pulled her into a corner.

He actually looked frazzled, which puzzled Brennan. He spoke in a frantic whisper, trying not to draw any attention to their conversation.

"Bones! Why did you do that?"

"What? Bid on you? I decided that I wanted to go on a date with you." She said this as if he should have known this all along. Booth gave her a look like she was out of her mind.

"What?!"

He paused for a moment and managed to say his next thoughts with conviction, looking into clear blue eyes.

"You could have just asked me. I'm fairly certain that I would have said yes." He finished with a panicked voice yet again. "You didn't have to spend $200,000 on me!"

She responded with Brennan-like sincerity. "Yes I did."

"Why?" He couldn't begin to comprehend the thought processes of his partner.

"Because you were right."

"Huh?" Now he was really lost. She never told him he was right, and he had no idea what she was talking about. "Help me out here Bones, I'm not following you."

"You told me earlier that I was behaving like an 'alpha female' and you were right. Once I objectively evaluated my behavior and actions, I concluded that I was indeed behaving as though I was an 'alpha female.' Once I made this association, I realized that I shouldn't try to suppress those tendencies." She took a step closer to him.

"I decided that I didn't want any other woman to date you but me. Apparently your anthropological observations about me were valid. Everything seemed to fall into place after I accepted it." She paused for a second, then added with a smirk, "plus everyone kept reminding me that this was all for a good cause."

By the time she was finished, Brennan had moved dangerously close, only mere inches away. Booth still had a stunned look on his face as he was following her reasoning and didn't seem to acknowledge her movements.

"You came up with all this since we danced? I only made those comments about an hour ago." He continued to be astounded by how her mind worked. Her close proximity was not helping his sense of awe regarding his partner either.

She gave him a knowing smile. "I've been told that I have a very steep learning curve."

He chuckled briefly before reality brought him crashing back to earth. The panicked face had returned and he stepped back.

"How on earth am I supposed to plan a date worth $200,000?" This thought alone gave him a feeling of dread.

Brennan looked at him calmly.

"Did you have a date already planned for the winner?"

"Well yeah, but I wasn't expecting _you_ to win, let alone spend a fortune."

She shook her head forcefully. "It doesn't matter. I want to go on the date you had planned. This is going to be an official date for charity and I don't want you to treat me any differently than you would any other winner of auction."

Booth visibly relaxed as the pressure of the date lifted slightly. It was going to be a date with Bones, but not really their first date as a dating couple. Somehow the distinction was made in his mind and he was able to accept the circumstances.

Satisfied with his reaction, she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Now we can discuss the details of the date later. Right now I have to write a check to help some wonderful children get some proper medical attention."

Still floored as to how fast Brennan changed directions, he watched her walk over to the table and write a check worth an absurdly large amount of money.

* * *

A/N: Well there you go, the significant chapter. Now we get to have all sorts of fun. : ) Thanks again for all the reviews.


	7. The Flowers

7. The Flowers

It was Monday morning before Brennan walked back into the Jeffersonian. The auction had been Saturday night, and she hadn't talked to Booth since then. She was excited to see him, but hoped that her actions that night hadn't affected their partnership negatively. Booth generally showed up around lunchtime to drag her out to eat. Until then, she decided to get work done on the platform.

By 11 am, Brennan had accomplished everything she could with the evidence for their latest case. Annoyed that Booth still hadn't shown up yet, she remembered that she had a pile of paperwork she could do while she waited. As she walked into her office, she saw an embarrassingly large vase of blood red roses sitting on her desk. The look of revulsion appeared on her face instantly.

It was then that Angela entered Brennan's office behind her.

"Ooo, look at the gorgeous roses!" She went and inhaled the perfume wafting from the blooms. After breathing deeply, she turned and noticed Brennan's face.

"Oh, Sweetie, I forgot how much you hate roses. Whoever sent these must not know you very well."

Angela turned back to the offensive flowers.

"So who's the idiot who wasted his money?"

"I don't know," Brennan replied with disgust.

She reached over and opened the card.

_Dr. Temperance Brennan,_

_It would be an honor if you would accompany_

_me on a date this Friday night at seven o'clock._

_I look forward to spending the evening in your presence._

_Sincerely,_

_Seeley Booth_

Angela watched as Brennan's face transitioned from repugnance to recognition to disappointment.

She asked with a concerned voice, "Who sent them?"

"Booth apparently." The sadness in her voice was reflected in her eyes as she looked up at Angela. "I don't understand. How could he not know I abhor roses?"

Angela wanted to give Brennan a comforting look, but she was confused as well.

"I don't know." She reached out and placed a comforting hand on Brennan's arm.

Looking back down at the card, Brennan tried to comprehend the unusual formality of the phrasing. She looked back up to ask Angela another question but stopped when she saw her glaring at something behind her.

With an icy tone, Angela spoke rather loudly. "Looks like someone is here to explain himself."

Giving Brennan a gentle squeeze and sympathizing glance, she left for her own office. She couldn't help admonishing the man standing just outside the door as she walked by.

"And I thought you knew better."

Not used to receiving attitude from Angela, Booth simply raised an eyebrow at her statement. He carefully walked into Brennan's office as she turned around to look at her visitor. His posture was uncharacteristically timid: head slightly lowered, slumped down and hands behind his back.

"Hey Bones," he said somewhat tentatively. "How was the rest of your weekend?"

Her mood immediately transformed into outrage as he clearly showed no indication that he realized his glaring mistake.

"Why did you send me these?" She gestured to the flowers.

Booth took a step forward. "Listen, here's the thing…"

She instantly cut him off in her fury.

"How can you not know I hate roses?! They're overtly romantic, commercialized as a symbol of love with no actual meaning behind the gesture. Their unpleasant scent initiates a painful migraine. I've always loathed them."

"Would you just let me…"

"And the note does not make any sense. I will concede that it is direct and forthcoming with practical knowledge. However, structurally it sounds nothing like the way you converse with me; it's impersonal, cold, and too formal." At this point her voice started cracking and her emotions were starting to take over. "I thought our relationship had advance to the point where…"

"Bones!" He had to raise his voice to get her to stop, which she did with reluctance.

She crossed her arms and looked at the ground, trying to reign in her emotions.

"What?" she asked with a slight pout. She wouldn't raise her head to look at him.

Booth took another step to stand directly in front of her. He had suspected some resistance when he sent her the flowers, but her reaction was more than he was prepared for. He bent his head down to force her to look at him. Speaking with a comforting voice, he drew her gaze up.

"I have a very good reason for sending you the roses."

She gave him a skeptical look. "Really?"

"Uh huh," he said with a grin. "You told me to."

"What?" she asked, now thoroughly confused. "I never said that."

"Well you never actually told me to buy you roses," he clarified, "but you did tell me to treat my charity date with you exactly like I would with any other woman."

He continued to explain. "So with any other woman I would have sent roses. That was Seeley Booth asking his beautiful date out to dinner on Friday night."

She continued to look at him, processing what he just told her. As her mind caught up with his reasoning, she started to blush. She bent her head down to avoid his warm eyes.

"Oh, I…I guess…" she stuttered. Brennan took a deep breath; she needed to compose herself.

She looked up with renewed confidence. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at you. You were only doing what I told you to do."

Thankful that she was no longer upset, Booth relaxed a bit. "It's ok."

He paused before putting on a charm smile. "Hey, you haven't asked me why I'm here yet."

"Well I assumed that it was because you wanted to ascertain whether or not I had received the roses."

"My, my. Dr. Brennan making assumptions. That's not like you." He teased. "However, that is not why I am here."

Curiosity flickered on her features. "Ok, then why are you here?"

"To give you these."

He pulled out an attractive bouquet of daisies from behind his back. Upon seeing the simple flowers, her face blossomed into a dazzling smile. It was that exact smile that he had been waiting for since he walked into her office. It pleased him immensely that his second arrangement of flowers had accomplished that mission.

Brennan enthusiastically took the daisies from Booth and immediately breathed in their sweet fragrance. The simple gesture made Booth's heart ache just a little. He lived for those moments, and they seemed to be happening more frequently.

She looked from the flowers to Booth. She was slightly ashamed that she could have thought he didn't know her. No one knew her as well as him. She knew she was grinning like an idiot and suspected that she wouldn't be able to stop any time soon. They continued to enjoy each other's cheery mood.

"Why did get me these?" she couldn't help but ask. She simply had to have a reason for everything he did.

"Because…" he hesitated slightly. "I wanted to ask you if you would go out with me Saturday night." He tried to hold her gaze, but near the end he could only look at the ground.

She gave him a quizzical look.

"You said on the card that you wanted to go out on Friday night, did something come up?"

"No." He shook his head with a grin. She never seemed to willingly follow him where he led her.

"That was me asking you to dinner for the charity date." He paused to make sure she understood. "This is me asking you for a different date. Just Booth and Bones, it would be our first actual date."

He knew that she had already spent a fortune to go on a date with him. It seemed logical that she would accept his offer, but he was still nervous. He was asking her to pursue a romantic relationship with him. In this aspect of her life, he had no idea what she would do.

When she realized what he was actually asking her, she felt her heartbeat quicken ever so slightly. Her pride was really the only thing refraining her from immediately acquiescing to his request. She didn't want to appear too eager.

"If we are going to dinner on Friday, what would our date entail on Saturday?"

His mood lifted at her interest. "Well I was thinking we could still go to dinner, but afterwards there's this jazz club I would love to take you to."

She considered the details of the date.

"Hmm…I wasn't expecting you to actually tell me. You seemed like a traditional romantic who would prefer to keep the elements of the date a secret."

Booth gave her a slight smirk. "Well I know how much you don't like surprises. I figured there was a better chance of you accepting if you had all the information to make an educated decision."

The honest answer is that she would've agreed to a date regardless of the destination. She couldn't imagine any evening with Booth being a disappointment. However, she thought it was endearing to see how anxious he was. He rarely displayed any unease around the opposite sex, and knowing that this was due to her honestly made her ego swell a little.

He could only stare at her. Despite being labeled an alpha-male with a flawless reputation in regards to women, there was no precedent when pursuing a relationship with Temperance Brennan. He had fallen for her hard a long time ago. Even with the ability to break his heart, she was the most stunning woman he'd ever met, in looks, in intelligence and in character.

Brennan simply continued to watch him, committing this moment to memory. He held his breath, waiting an eternity for her answer.

"I would thoroughly enjoy going out with you on Saturday night."

He sighed with relief.

"Yeah?" he asked with a goofy grin.

She replied with a smile of her own. "Yeah."

* * *

A/N: I absolutely love this chapter. I hope you all did as well.


	8. Roaming Eyes

8. Roaming Eyes

Brennan observed some things over the next few days. After she had admitted to herself that she actually _was_ an alpha female, she noticed exactly how many different women noticed her partner. She wasn't a complete idiot; she knew that women found Booth attractive. But now, it seemed that everywhere they went, every single woman gave his body a once over. The new waitress at the diner, the technician at the FBI, a receptionist at a law firm they were investigating at…wherever...the list kept growing.

She finally decided to say something on Thursday. They were waiting for their coffee at a local café when she saw an attractive businesswoman give him a suggestive smile while her eyes wandered over his form. Booth, for his own part, gave every impression that he didn't notice her at all.

"Simply amazing."

Having had his back to her, he turned around with a confused look.

"What was that Bones?"

"I said it was simply amazing." She continued to explain. "That woman is behaving as if she's never seen a well structured man before."

"What, her?" He directed his head towards the woman. "It's nothing."

"Are you serious? I was watching the woman undress you with her eyes and you didn't even need to do anything to encourage her behavior." She gave a quick glance at his waist. "Well, perhaps the belt buckle doesn't help, but it just happened without provocation."

He self-consciously looked down at his attire. He didn't think his suit was anything particularly enticing.

Brennan took advantage of the moment to get her own view of her partner. The charcoal gray suit hung perfectly on his well-sculpted figure telling of his pride in keeping fit. The crazy, patterned tie gave the impression that he didn't feel the need to follow a rigid lifestyle. His outlandish belt buckle…well…that gave an entirely different impression all together.

She knew exactly why every woman was eyeing Seeley Booth with unbridled desire.

He looked back up in time to see her eyes gazing over him.

"What do you want me to say? I can't seem to keep the women away." He gave her a classic charm smile.

She crossed her arms in defense.

"Hmph." She wasn't particularly happy about having noticed all of these details about the women around her.

He stepped closer to her.

"What's the matter Bones? You're not jealous are you?" His grin had turned wicked and it was obvious he was thrilled at this idea. "That wouldn't be your alpha-female personality coming out now would it?"

She took a confident step towards him, now only inches away from him.

"Well since you were the one who made me realize my own behavior, you're just going to have to acclimate to the results." She finished by giving his tie a slight tug. Then giving the woman with roaming eyes a smug grin, she reached around Booth to get their coffees, which has just been placed on the counter.

As she passed by Booth again, she mumbled quietly. "Plus, the only woman that's going to come even close to that belt buckle is right here."

Slightly flustered, Booth flattened down his tie and sheepishly looked around the coffee shop. He quickly followed his coffee out the door.

* * *


	9. The Other Dates

9. The Other Dates

After they had finished their afternoon 'coffee break', Booth drove back to the Jeffersonian to drop off Brennan. He thought he had been nervous Monday when he had asked her on a date, but as the day of their 'first' first date came closer, his nerves escalated. He didn't even want to think about how the 'second' first date would go; that was the one that actually mattered.

He knew that his plans for the next night were in place. When he decided to be in the auction, several ideas for a date had come to his mind: dinner and dancing, evening at an art museum, etc. He had finally decided on the details right before he arrived at the gala. When Brennan told him to keep the same date, he was thrilled. Admittedly, he had been thinking about her when had planned it.

She had been pestering him for days about the details, and she was at it again.

"Why won't you tell me where we are going?" She had just a slight pout in her voice. She had tried logic, sweetness and bribery and none of them had worked yet. This was next on her list of tactics.

"No can do Bones. Not gonna work."

"But how am I supposed to know what to wear? I can't possibly decide without specific details as to what will transpire tomorrow night."

Booth chuckled lightly. He thoroughly enjoyed a flustered Brennan. When Brennan was anxious about a date with him, well, it was that much better.

"Trust me, anything you wear will be fine. If you're really worried, just ask Angela; I'm sure she has an outfit for any kind of situation."

This did not comfort Brennan in the slightest. She needed to know what the date was and he was being deliberately evasive.

"Ugh. You are so infuriating." She crossed her arms and gave him a glare.

He could feel her eyes boring into his head and turned to see her crystal blue eyes trying to evoke the knowledge from him.

"C'mon. I told you exactly what we'll be doing Saturday night. Can't I keep this one a secret?" He paused, then said with a more emotional tone, "I really want to surprise you. This is important to me."

She had one thought going through her mind. 'Damn him.' She just couldn't stay mad at someone who was so insistent on trying to make this so special for her. She uncrossed her arms and sighed deeply.

"Well, when you put it that way. I suppose I can let you have your fun."

The result of her surrender: instantaneous Booth charm smile. She shook her head in disbelief as he pulled up in front of the Jeffersonian.

As she got out of the SUV, she couldn't resist throwing in another comment. "It was probably futile for me to continue my efforts anyways since there is a good chance I won't see you until tomorrow night anyways."

She gave him a sexy smile as she stepped out. With another goodbye, she shut the door. Walking up the steps, she deliberately added a little more sway to her hips, just to punish him a little more.

Booth visibly leaned over further to watch her walk all the way up the stairs. When he leaned back, he let out a deep breath. He was most definitely looking forward to both of their first dates over the next two nights.

Brennan walked into the Jeffersonian to find Angela and Zack up on the platform. After dropping her stuff off at her office, she headed there to see what they were discussing.

She could see Angela standing over a sheepish looking Zack.

"A latte?!" Angela bellowed. "She spent $4,000 on you and you bought her a latte?"

"What's going on?" Brennan suspected it had nothing to do with any actual scientific inquiry.

Angela turned to look at her, completely exasperated.

"I was asking Zack how his charity date went last night, and he tells me he took her to a coffee shop." Angela looked up as if to ask help from heaven.

She yelled at Zack again. "When a beautiful girl spends $4,000 to go on a date with you, you should shell out more than $4.95 for a cup of coffee."

He replied with precision. "I also bought her a biscotti, so the total was actually $6.53."

"Are you kidding me? Bren, tell him that he should've spent more money on his date."

"I don't necessarily agree. I specifically told Booth that the amount of money I spent should have no impact on the date itself." She thought for a moment more. "However, I suspect that this young woman probably had slightly higher expectations than a coffee shop."

"I don't understand." Zack said with obvious confusion. "I specifically asked her if taking her to a café was an acceptable destination for the date and she had no objections."

Angela shook her head.

"Zack, women rarely say what they mean. She was probably just being polite."

"Oh, I see." He seemed to be mentally filing the new information. "Well on our next date, I will make sure to take her to an appropriate establishment."

"Next date?" Angela said with excitement. "You're going out again?"

Zack stood and puffed out his chest with pride.

"Yes, she asked me to join her for dinner Saturday night."

"Oh how sweet," Angela responded. "You'll have to bring her by sometime so we can meet her."

"Well you'll all get to meet my date, she'll be here in a few minutes." Hodgins joined them on the platform.

Angela gave him an obvious once over with her eyes. He was dressed in a very sharp suit. She gave him a brilliant smile.

"Well it's nice to see that you've stopped whining about your date."

"Yeah, well, it seems that Ms. Van Benton is actually a very sweet little old lady." He smiled as he held a large bouquet of fall flowers.

Brennan finally asked him a question. "Where are you taking her?"

"Well it seems she wanted an escort to a state dinner for the Chancellor of Germany. Apparently they knew each other when she was in Frankfort for boarding school."

Brennan raised her eyebrows. "Well I'm impressed. That should be an exciting evening."

"Yeah, usually when I get an invitation to those things, I ignore them. Can't wait to see what the food is like."

"Geez, Jack, how often do you get invited to the White House?" Angela was still shocked as to how important her boyfriend actually was.

"Eh, maybe once every other month or so." He shrugged it off, never understanding why it was such a big deal.

A voice saved Hodgins from his awkward position. It was one of the security guards.

"Sir, a Ms. Van Benton is here to see you."

They all turned to see a lovely woman standing at the bottom of the stairs. Being nearly 70, she was fairly short, but she looked remarkably youthful. Her hair was a snowy white and she wore a crystal blue gown. Hodgins led the way down the steps to see her; Angela and Brennan followed while Zack found no reason to move. Hodgins greeted her with a bow and graciously kissed her hand.

He turned to the others to make introductions.

"Dr. Brennan, Angela, this is Ms. Clara Van Benton. Clara, these are my colleagues Dr. Temperance Brennan and Angela Montenegro."

The women exchanged greetings. As Ms. Van Benton looked at Angela, she recognized her and smiled.

"My dear, you must have been the one I was bidding against at the auction. I am so very sorry that I stole him away from you." She gave another look at Hodgins, then corrected herself.

"Well, maybe only a little sorry. I am going to have the best looking date there. The other girls are going to be so jealous, I might not be welcome at my bridge club next week."

Angela laughed wholeheartedly. "Don't give it another thought. Jack is lucky to have gotten such a wonderful date."

Though Hodgins was enjoying the discussion, he turned to Ms. Van Benton.

"I'm sorry, but we're going to have to leave if we don't want to be late." He offered his arm to lead her out.

"Oh yes, of course." She eagerly laced her arm through his and offered her goodbyes to the other women.

As they were walking out, Angela called out to Hodgins.

"Make sure you behave yourself!"

"Don't worry, I'll bring back all the juicy details," was his reply.

Both women giggled as they watched the unusual couple climb into a luxurious limousine.

"I think Hodgins will have fun on his date," Brennan commented.

"Yeah, I agree." Angela looked at Brennan. "So do you think you'll have fun on _your_ date?"

Brennan smiled. Angela had been teasing her all week about buying the date with Booth. Brennan tried to look annoyed, but she was secretly enjoying it. Since she needed Angela's help, she decided to drop the charade.

"I really hope so."

Angela beamed. She had suspected her friend had been holding back. She watched Brennan's face turn to panic.

"Ange, I don't know what to wear. Booth won't tell me anything about where we are going."

Angela was thrilled that Brennan was nervous about the date; it definitely revealed her true feelings on the matter.

"Sweetie, don't worry about a thing. We'll take a half day tomorrow and I'll help you get ready."

"A half day?! I've never taken a half day for such a superfluous reason before. How could we spend six hours getting me ready for a date?" The most time that Brennan had spent getting ready for a date was an hour, and that seemed like a long time.

"Oh don't worry, we'll have plenty of things to do. I'm not going to let you go on a hot date with that FBI agent of yours without properly preparing you."

Brennan wisely decided not to argue with her best friend, and headed off to her office to get something done. It was apparent that not much would be accomplished the next day.

Angela smiled to herself as she walked to her own office. "The man won't know what hit him."

* * *

A/N: I know you are all dying to see the BIG date, but I couldn't _completely_ ignore the other ones....and thanks for getting this story over 100 reviews....they're awesome, thanks!


	10. The Preparation

10. The Preparation

Agent Booth had spent most of Friday morning filling out paperwork. Unfortunately, he only succeeded in completing one form out of the mountain sitting on his desk. Focusing had become a real problem ever since Brennan had won his date at the auction. It didn't help that the date was this evening and he was incredibly nervous about it.

He reasoned to himself that if he went ahead and saw her for lunch, it would calm some of his nerves. He told himself that was a logical plan. That's why he was walking into the Jeffersonian at noon.

He marched up to the platform after scanning his card and only saw Cam working on a computer.

"Hey Camille," he said with a smirk.

"Hello Seeley," she returned with her own hint of amusement.

"What are you working on?" he asked and then added another question. "What is it that you actually do when we're not working on a case?"

She looked over at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Now I know you really don't want the answer to that question. I do a little of this, a little of that; mostly administrative work actually. I'm just doing some follow up work for a colleague."

She returned her gaze to the screen in front of her.

"Speaking of not having a case, what exactly are you doing here Booth?"

"Can't a guy stop by to see his favorite squints?"

She looked over to see his ever present charm smile staring back at her. She snorted in disbelief at his efforts to avoid the question.

"Ok, ok…I came to take Bones to lunch."

"Well good luck considering she's left for the day."

He gave a quick glance in the direction of her office to see it completely vacated and dark.

"Where did she go? Some work related meeting?"

Cam chuckled as she continued working on the computer.

"Hardly. Her and Angela took a half day to shop and do other ridiculous rituals to prepare for her…uh…big date tonight."

After a few moments of silence, Cam turned to see Booth's face. His eyes had glazed over, and he had a silly grin on his face. He just couldn't seem to wrap his mind around Brennan's behavior lately.

"She took off from work to get ready to go on a date with me?" Add another item on the list of unexpected things she did that surprised him.

Cam groaned and rolled her eyes.

"I shouldn't have told you. Heaven knows your ego does not need the boost."

Booth simply continued to revel in his amazing good luck to be going on a date with Temperance Brennan.

Finally getting disgusted with the dreamy look in Booth's eyes, Cam started shoving him off the platform.

"Go. Get out of here. Go get yourself ready for you date." She watched as he stumbled clumsily down the stairs. As he reached the bottom, she called out again.

"Oh and Seeley," she gave him a serious look, "don't waste this."

He gave her a knowing smile. "Don't worry. I won't." He started to leave, but turned around once more to gaze up at his former girlfriend. "Thanks Cam."

She sighed briefly before returning to her work, amazed about how their friendship had remained intact.

* * *

After getting a quick bite to eat at a sidewalk café, Angela dragged Brennan to a fancy boutique that she went to often. Angela was wandering around with Brennan following her around completely clueless.

"How do you even begin to determine what will be appropriate for me to wear on this date?"

"Well, Sweetie. We have to find something that you can wear both outside and inside just in case you happen to go walking around outside." Angela was trying to envision what kind of date that Booth would orchestrate.

Angela then turned and gave Brennan a mischievous smile. "And of course the most important question would be whether you want to be elegant and beautiful or hot and sexy."

Brennan pondered this as she was fingering a silk blouse. "Well I suppose since this is due to a charity evening, I can dress elegant this evening and save hot and sexy for tomorrow night."

Angela's eyes widened. "Excuse me? A second date?" She put her hand on her hip. "When did this happen?"

Brennan smiled slightly. "That is why I have a vase of daffodils sitting in my offic. He asked me on Monday to accompany him on date that was not dependent on me spending a fortune at an auction."

Angela barely contained her squeal. "Sweetie! I'm so happy for you!" Her ecstatic expression suddenly turned petulant. "Exactly when were you planning on telling me about this?"

Brennan kept wandering around the store. "I don't know," she said nonchalantly. "It wasn't on my list of priorities."

"Bren, when the love of your life asks you on a proper date, it is imperative that you divulge this information to your best friend."

Brennan chuckled at her romanticism. "Ok, properly noted. I'll make sure to keep you informed of any monumental steps in our relationship, though you may have to give me a list of what those are."

Angela smiled. "Don't worry, I will." She continued looking around the store for a few moments before she let out another miniature squeal.

"Ange!"

"Sorry. It's just…now I get to dress you up in two outfits." As that realization hit her, she gasped. "We have SO much to do before tonight! Time to get serious."

She frantically began pulling clothes off the rack and shoved Brennan into a changing room. Brennan sighed. It was going to be a long day with her best friend. At least she knew it would all be worth it.


	11. 1st, 1st Date: The Beginning

11. 1st, 1st Date: The Beginning

It was 6 o'clock and Booth was ready to explode from anticipation. Takng the rest of the day off had not helped his situation. The process of getting ready, which honestly should have taken him 45 minutes tops, had lengthened to about two hours. He had tried on three different shirts only to end up wearing the one he had chosen first. He wondered when he had started acting like a girl.

At 6:15, he finally decided he could leave. He would have time to run a necessary errand or two and still be punctual to pick up Brennan.

* * *

Meanwhile Brennan was nearly worn out from getting ready. Spending the afternoon with Angela felt the equivalent of running a marathon. However much she complained about the process, she couldn't argue with the results.

As she looked at herself in the mirror, she saw a confident, yet elegant woman. The crystal blue gown reached to the floor and accentuated her curves ever so slightly as she moved. It was held up by thin straps and had a fairly modest V-neckline that was trimmed with a pattern of rhinestones. Angela had said it was the perfect dress to remain formal and yet tease Booth until the next night.

The next night…Brennan looked over to the other dress hanging in her closet. She felt a thrill thinking about what Booth's reaction would be to the second dress. As her mind began to wander dangerously, a blush began creeping up her neck. Fortunately, or unfortunately, that is when Booth arrived with a knock on her door.

Booth tried to regulate his breathing as he waited for her to open the door. He knew she would be ready; she was generally punctual. As her door opened, all breath was stolen from his body.

She was the image of beauty. Her blue eyes stood out because her dress was the exact same color. Her hair was twisted up revealing her delicate neck that was sure to tempt him all night long. To complete the image, she was smiling at him. Every smile of hers simply unhinged him.

After resuming normal respiratory functions, he finally found his voice. "Temperance, you look stunning."

If possible, her smile brightened. "Thank you. You look very handsome yourself."

She opened the door further, inviting him in. As he walked by and she caught the scent of his cologne, she had to dig her mind out of the gutter. She was suddenly wondering if he looked as good out of his suits as he did in them. She shut the door and shook her head to clear her thoughts.

She walked into her living room to see Booth waiting for her with a present in his hands.

"Is that for me?" She attempted to hide the excitement in her voice.

Booth looked down to his hands. "Well, it's not for Parker."

He earned a slight chuckle in response.

She carefully opened her present, noticing that he had wrapped it himself. She was surprised to find that he had gotten her a box of chocolates.

"Chocolates?"

"You know, typical date gift. However, there is a special twist to it. They're made in South America and have chili powder in them. I heard they are very good."

She beamed. "Oh! I've had these before; and I agree they are very delicious. Thank you Booth."

"You're welcome Temperance."

After a moment, she asked quietly, "Booth?"

"Yeah?"

She glanced down at the floor before raising her eyes to look at him. "I know you're trying to treat this as a normal date…but would you please call me Bones?"

His heart swelled as he listened to her question. It had been a very conscious effort to refrain from calling her by his nickname for her. He knew how significant it was for her to admit that she liked the name. But knowing how much she had resisted at first, he couldn't help but push the issue a little further.

"Why?" He stepped a little closer. "Why do you want me to call you Bones?"

She sighed deeply as she considered her answer. That stupid nickname had worked it's way into her heart. She had acknowledged to herself a while ago that the name no longer aggravated her. Booth only called her that because they were close. With confidence, she gave him her answer.

"I want you to call me Bones because no one else calls me that; while it used to be annoying to me, it is now special. I also know that you do not have that nickname for anyone else, so it is also important to you."

Booth's warm eyes smiled back at her. "The name is important to me because you, Bones, are important to me."

After holding her gaze for another infinite moment, he broke the mood.

"You want to try one of those chocolates before we leave?"

"Booth," she chided, "It will ruin our dinner."

"It's only one chocolate. Trust me, it takes a heck of a lot more than that to ruin my dinner." He continued with a charm smile. "Admit it, you want to try them."

She rolled her eyes. "Fine, but just one."

Opening the package, she chose one at random. Her face melted into enjoyment and her eyes gently closed as the dark chocolate melted in her mouth. As the combination of sweetness and heat battled across her tongue, she couldn't resist the soft moan of appreciation escaping her throat.

Booth's mouth hung open as he watched Brennan savor the chocolate. He knew women liked chocolate, but seeing her reaction was making his heart race. There had to be something different in these, and he had to try a piece.

As he reached over to grab one, Brennan's eyes flew open and she wrenched the package away.

"Hey! Who said you could have one?" She smiled impishly. "You gave these to me."

Booth tried to look shocked and hurt, but the smile playing on his lips gave him away.

"Not even one?" he asked.

She shook her head no, trying not to chuckle.

"Bones…" he whined.

"Nope."

He decided to add the pout Parker so successfully used. "Please?"

"Well since you said please."

She concentrated on which chocolate would be his reward. Selecting the perfect one, she held it up to him.

"Ok, open up."

He gulped as he realized she was going to feed the chocolate to him. He closed his eyes, opened his mouth, and waited.

She carefully placed the chocolate in his mouth and let her fingers brush gently against his lips. As the taste of the dark chocolate, the spiciness of the chili powder and the softness of Brennan's fingers hit him, a visible shiver ran down his spine. It was one of the most exhilarating feelings he had ever encountered. As he finally swallowed the morsel, he opened his eyes to see Brennan looking at him with a smirk.

"Wow. That was really good."

She smiled. "I'm glad you enjoyed it."

He cleared his throat. "We should probably get going if we don't want to be late."

"Right. Just let me get my wrap." Angela had suggested a nice wrap to keep her warm in case she got cold. She also remembered Angela making another suggestion of what could keep her warm, but she didn't need to be distracted right now.

She took the arm that he had offered her and walked down to the front of her building. As they reached the parking lot, she began looking for the SUV. Booth, however, led her over to a considerably more attractive car.

"Booth, where's your car?"

"At home. We're taking this one instead."

"Why? The SUV is perfectly acceptable."

"Yeah, I know, on a normal occasion anyways. Tonight is a special; it requires a more stylish vehicle."

"More stylish?" she asked with incredulity. "What kind of car is it anyways?"

"This _machine_ is a classic 1963 Aston Martin DB5. A buddy of mine from the war is a huge Bond fanatic, so he let me borrow it for the evening. This was the car I was trying to get in England."

"What's a Bond?" She gave him the standard 'inquisitive Bones' look.

"Come on, you know." He deepened his voice. "I'm Bond, James Bond."

She continued to look at him with a blank expression.

"Nothing? Really?" He sighed dejectedly. "He's a British spy. We're going to have to have a couple of movie nights here soon so I can increase your popular culture knowledge."

"Hmm…movie nights. I would enjoy that." She smiled up hopefully. This was an area of life that he was comfortable in and she wanted to learn more about.

He returned the smile. "We can do that. But tonight, we have more exciting things to do."

He led her over to the passenger door, which he opened, and she carefully climbed in. She had to admit this car was clearly superior in design. As Booth slid into his seat, she couldn't help but notice the ecstatic look on his face. There was a child-like joy that was infectious.

"Do you like driving this car more than your own?"

"Bones, driving this car is an entirely different experience." He gave a dangerous smirk. "I would show you what she could do, but it wouldn't look good for an FBI agent to get a ticket for speeding and reckless driving."

He paused before bravely throwing up one last comment before they drove off. "That'll have to wait for date number twelve."

* * *

A/N: Ok all....the big date has begun....it'll take a couple of chapters to get through it all....and now since you've all been dying for this, I need to know what you think so far


	12. 1st, 1st Date: Dinner and a Surprise

12. 1st, 1st Date: Dinner and a Surprise

After a short drive, they arrived at a charming Italian restaurant. He escorted her, by the arm, into the restaurant where he only had to mention his name before being led to their table. To everyone sitting around them, they acted like a normal couple. They stared intently at each other, completely engrossed in whatever they were discussing. The food was marvelous and was quickly consumed.

She had planned on paying for the meal, but never had the opportunity because the check never arrived. She had the sneaky suspicion that Booth had been prepared for her suggestion and had already had arranged to pay. The man simply knew her too well and had successfully avoided any discussion about paying.

Their relatively short dinner was done by 8:30. As they were leaving, Booth had noticed Brennan looking for the check. He had circumvented that argument rather well; he would have to remember that little trick for later.

As they slipped back into the car, Brennan finally asked, "Are you going to tell me where we are going now?"

"Not yet," he said with a smile, "You can wait another 10 minutes."

A small smile formed on her lips, she was actually enjoying the suspense of not being in control of her situation. Looking over at her date, she realized it was because she trusted Booth.

Suddenly they arrived at the Kennedy Center. He pulled up to a valet and went around to open the door for Brennan.

She carefully exited the car, resulting in her dress hugging her form a little more than it had. As Booth turned to give the valet his keys, he noticed the colleged-aged boy ogling his date, specifically her body.

"Hey, kid" he said with forcefulness, "Eyes over here. You should learn how to respect women, not drool over them."

The valet bowed his head sheepishly. "Yes sir." He turned to Brennan. "Sorry Ma'am." He took the keys and gave Booth his receipt.

As Booth escorted Brennan inside, she thought about the valet. "I have never liked being called 'ma'am'; it seems a term that should only be used in addressing elderly women."

Booth chuckled at her uncharacteristically girly comment. "Would you rather be referred to as 'doll'? Cause I could arrange that."

She turned and glared at him.

"Do you always try to antagonize your dates? You seem to be exceedingly adept at the process."

"Sorry Bones," he replied with a smile. "Force of habit. I'll try to behave myself."

He looked at her sparkling eyes; knowing that she was enjoying herself gave him a deep sense of satisfaction. "Hey, you haven't even noticed what we're here for."

She quickly turned around and located the marquee that told her she would be watching the Washington Ballet perform "Cinderella."

Her eyebrows rose in surprise. "You're taking me to the ballet? I wasn't aware that you enjoyed the ballet."

He smiled. "Well, it's not like I have season tickets or anything, but every once in a while is ok." He led her towards their seats. "I figured this would be a good choice for whoever who bought my date."

They finally reached their seats, which were very close to the stage. As they got settled, Brennan leaned over to Booth.

"These seats are quite good; I hope you didn't spend too much money on them."

Seeing her hand laying on the arm between them, he gently rested his on top of her.

"Don't worry about it. I called in a favor."

She smirked. "You seem to know a lot of important people who owe you favors. What exactly have you been doing to acquire all these favors?"

"Wouldn't you like to know." He threw her a quick wink before looking down to read his program.

After looking at him for a moment longer, she went to look at her program as well, but noticed her right hand was trapped under his. He also didn't seem to be in any rush to remove it either. Her mind quickly went through the list of all the anthropological implications of this type of maneuver, the most significant being a sign of possession to deter any onlookers. Finding this to be acceptable to her, she gently caressed his hand with her thumb. While continuing to read his program, she noticed Booth's mouth turn up in a smile.

Satisfied with her own behavior, she waited for the lights to dim and the ballet to begin.

* * *

As the first act was performed, Brennan was completely immersed in the ballet. She watched the grace and form of all the dancers. Their bodies moved in such graceful ways that she wasn't expecting. The costumes and the music simply added to the experience.

Occasionally, while he watched the ballet, Booth stole glances at his date. Her eyes were glued to the stage, never noticing his looks. He had hoped that she would appreciate the story as well as the dancing. He was eagerly waiting to hear her thoughts.

As the lights came up for intermission, Brennan turned to Booth with excitement.

"That was simply incredible. I have never been this close to a ballet performance. The way in which their bodies move is exquisite. You can see the incredible muscle definition and how each one is moving to accommodate every technical position. It's a beautiful display of the human body."

He watched her share her thoughts with abandon and relished the experience. This was precisely the reaction he had hoped to achieve. He couldn't help but smile at her enjoyment.

She noticed him staring at her and smiling softly.

"What?' she asked.

He simply continued to smile. "Nothing Bones. I'm glad you are having a good time."

"I am. You made an excellent choice in activity."

"Thanks. Amid all of your studying, did you actually pay any attention the story?" He teased.

She gently rolled her eyes. "Booth, the myth of Cinderella is well known and not hard to follow. Plus, I find it relaxing to observe the performance from a scientific standpoint."

She couldn't help but feel insecure about the end of her statement; it seemed like she couldn't even enjoy a night at the ballet like a normal person. Booth had done such a wonderful job of setting up the date, and she was ruining it. A feeling of embarrassment washed over her and she looked down at her lap.

Booth immediately realized his teasing had hurt her.

He gently nudged her hand. "Hey."

She refused to look at him.

"Bones, look at me," his quiet voice demanded.

She met his gaze, and her beautiful blue eyes revealed a lack of confidence. He cursed himself for making this remarkable woman doubt herself. It always astounded him that she was so unsure of herself when he could only see everything that was amazing about her. If he had the opportunity, he would spend the rest of his life making sure she knew what he saw in her.

"I want you to enjoy yourself. I love that you have a real appreciation for the art and form of dancing. You look at the world from different point of view that often confuses and bewilders me, but you should never feel that your viewpoint is inferior. It's what makes you special."

He saw her expression relaxing at his words, but he wasn't finished yet.

"I treasure every conversation I have with you because you show me a world I never expect and challenge my opinions with true curiosity and with respect. I was excited to bring you here to see a ballet because I _wanted_ to know what you thought about it."

Finishing on a lighter note, he added, "I always want to know what you're thinking, even if I know I won't like it." He gave her a gentle wink to ensure she knew he was joking.

She sighed in relief. His words so often had a very calming effect on her when he wanted them to. She was thankful for his effort to make her feel better and she wanted him to know his efforts were successful.

She gave him a playful smile. "Well, you often don't like my thoughts because they are usually right when you're wrong."

He chuckled as the lights came down for the final act. They both looked back at the stage and she quietly heard him say, "That's my girl."

* * *

A/N: So a couple of you pointed out that Brennan actually knows about James Bond....I forgot about the reference made in the show...so sorry. I'm surprised nobody corrected me when I posted this on the Bones forum....


	13. 1st, 1st Date: One Last Surprise

13. 1st, 1st Date: One Last Surprise

After the final act of Cinderella, Booth and Brennan stepped out into the chilly night air. Brennan began walking towards the valet when Booth gently tugged her in the opposite direction.

"We're not returning to the car?" she asked with confusion.

"Nope, we have an alternate mode of transportation for a while."

"Is it better than the Aston Martin?"

He contemplated for a moment before answering with a smile. "It…has it's advantages."

Booth led her around the corner where she saw a horse carriage waiting for them.

She stopped, and looked in awe at her date. He had obviously spent a lot of time and effort into this evening, and the majestic chocolate-colored horse instantly brought a memory to the front of her mind.

Every winter, when she was a little girl, her parents had taken her and Russ on a carriage ride in the snow. Their neighbors had the equipment and they always waited until there were a couple inches of snow before enjoying their ride.

Booth noticed the nostalgic look on her face.

"I haven't ridden in a carriage since I was a little girl." She had a slight sadness in her voice, but he could tell that whatever memory she was thinking about was a happy one.

"Well you won't be able to say that after tonight. C'mon. We don't want to keep the horse waiting."

Her eyes sparkled with excitement as she very carefully climbed into the carriage. Despite his large frame, Booth gracefully slid in next to her. The driver acknowledged them with a knowing smile before urging the horse to begin their journey.

Luckily for them, there were many beautiful monuments near the Kennedy Center that were lit brilliantly at night. There was still some traffic, but it wasn't the craziness usually associated with driving in D.C. Everything around them twinkled in the dark evening air.

They had only been on their ride a few minutes when Brennan spoke. She continued to look out at the street.

"Everything looks so different. We're usually hurrying to a crime scene or racing to catch a suspect; I rarely take the time to see how many unique landmarks are surrounding me every day."

She looked him directly.

"Thank you for this."

As she thanked him, he noticed a distinct shiver run through her as she pulled her wrap closer to her body.

"You're welcome, but the ride wouldn't be complete without huddling under a blanket."

He reached under the seat and pulled out a nice, cozy blanket. He shifted so that he sat in the corner and scooted Brennan over next to him. As he draped the blanket over them, she settled comfortably next to his chest. She was pleasantly surprised when she felt his arm snake around her to hold her close.

"There, now you'll stay nice and warm." He gave her a sweet smile and looked back at the scenery.

She smiled to herself as she suspected that this was one of those "advantages" he was speaking of earlier and that he had been counting on ending up cuddling underneath a blanket.

They sat there enjoying each other's warmth and the dazzling sights around them. After a few moments, Booth broke the silence.

"Did you end up enjoying the ballet?"

Brennan thought it was sweet that he was still worried that he had upset her.

"Of course I did. It was executed with great precision and grace. I was incredibly impressed with the dancers. It was clear they took a lot of pride in what they do."

She paused a moment before saying a thought that was guaranteed to get a rise out of Booth.

"However, I was slightly disappointed in the interpretation of the story."

Without looking at his face, she knew his face contorted into a frown.

"What do you mean?"

"They romanticized the ending of the story. The original Grimm fairy tale was much darker and violent."

"How did it end?" he asked with trepidation.

"Well, when the prince is looking for a maiden's foot to fit the glass slipper, the two step-sisters mutilate their feet in an attempt to make the shoe fit. One slices off her toe and the other cuts off her heel." She waited a moment as she felt Booth wince. "And at the wedding of Cinderella and her prince, the stepsister's eyes are gouged out by birds as a lesson against wickedness and lying."

"Geez, Bones! That's disgusting." She turned and noticed his face was wrought with disgust.

"I didn't write it. It's just the way it was originally told."

"Did you have to tell me that?"

She turned back around to lean back into him.

"I just thought you might like to know," she said with a small smile.

In all honesty, she told him because she enjoyed making him squirm. It was fun to make a confident, cocky man like Booth a little off kilter, and she knew exactly what buttons she needed to push to get a reaction.

"I sure won't be telling that version to my son any time soon." He muttered to himself.

They rode around in the carriage for another 20 minutes or so, occasionally pointing out particular landmarks and telling each other little stories. Unfortunately, the ride ended with both of them reluctantly detangling themselves from one another and climbing down to the sidewalk. They both heartedly thanked the driver for a wonderful time.

As Booth drove them back to her apartment, the car was quiet with both occupants replaying the events from the evening. They eventually reached her apartment, and they walked up to her door arm in arm. Neither of them wanted to be the first to let go, of the evening, or each other.

When she opened her door, she faced him with a soft look on her face.

"I had a really good time tonight, Booth. Everything was wonderful. Thank you."

He gazed into those blue eyes that he knew so well.

"You're welcome. I'm glad you enjoyed yourself."

He began to lean in to say something else, but stopped himself and dropped his head. Brennan was not so oblivious to not know when Booth wanted to say something.

"What is it?"

Shifting his eyes between Brennan and the floor, he hesitated in saying what was on his mind. She stepped forward and finally locked her eyes with his. Her deliberate action gave him courage.

"Bones, can I tell you the truth?"

She gently touched his arm. "You can always tell me the truth, you know that."

Stepping just slightly closer to her, he said the words he'd been thinking for entirely too long. "I really want to kiss you right now."

The corner of her mouth curled up. "Only right now?"

He smiled at her ability to pick out details.

"Well…it just seems a particularly fitting moment."

"Were you planning on giving your date a kiss when you didn't know who it would be?"

He sighed and took a small step back, sensing defeat. "No. I wasn't."

"Then I don't think it would be appropriate," she said with a hint of disappointment.

They both looked down, not knowing how to continue. Brennan kept fingering the sleeve of his jacket. She studied her fingers as she thought aloud.

"It would seem logical that once I close this door, it would signify the end of the date. Would you agree?"

She looked up at him for an answer.

Still with a slightly dejected look, he responded. "Yeah, I guess."

"Ok." And with that, she stepped into her apartment and closed the door.

Without a clue as to what just happened, Booth continued to stand there and stared at the door. It was not how he had expected this date to end. This was also not good foreshadowing for the date tomorrow night. When he had just started to work his way into a really foul mood, her door opened and revealed a smug Brennan.

"Bones?"

"Now that the date is 'officially' over, is there anything you were wanting to do?" She strode confidently to him and challenged him with her eyes.

He was shocked, confused, overwhelmed and enthralled all the same time. No other woman had ever had the same effect over him as she did. It was no wonder that he had fallen head over heals for her. Finally composing himself, he gave her his best charm smile and accepted her challenge.

"There is definitely something I want to do."

Using both his hands, he cupped her face and gently took her mouth with his. She gently sighed and fell into the kiss as her hands moved up his strong chest to settle behind his neck. Feeling her relax, he moved one hand down to his spot on her back and pulled her closer. He barely contained a groan as her body hit his. They both reveled in the effects they had on each other as the kiss continued to deepen.

Finally pulling away, they struggled to remain standing. They took a couple moments to compose themselves before saying anything. Booth was the first to break the silence.

"Well that was much better way to end the evening than having a door closed in my face."

She chuckled. "Sorry about that. It was the first thing that came to my mind to fix our dilemma."

"Well I'm glad you thought of something," he said as he ran his hand up and down her back, "because my mind was blank."

She gave him a cocky smile as she pulled away. "Well I am a genius."

"So you keep reminding me," he teased, then he straightened himself back up. "Well, I am a gentleman, so I am going to give you one more kiss, then say goodnight."

He leaned in and gave her a gentle kiss that she found even more unnerving than the first one. She found it hard to fathom how so much of his strength and passion could be held at bay when her own emotions were threatening to disarm her.

Booth smiled as he noticed Brennan's slightly hazy expression. How could he not be a little cocky when a beautiful woman like Temperance was dazed from his kiss?

"G'night Bones."

She barely got out a hoarse "Goodnight Booth" as she somehow managed to close the door.

* * *

A/N: Ok, that's the end of the 1st, 1st date. Hope it was all you hoped it would be....and don't worry, we've still got a ways to go on this story....


	14. Afterwards

14. Afterwards

About 30 minutes later, Booth was grabbing a beer from the fridge and heading towards the living room. He couldn't go to sleep just yet; his mind was on overdrive. When Angela originally told him about the bachelor auction, he never would have imagined the date would have been like that. But then, Brennan always did manage to exceed his expectations.

He smiled to himself as he remembered the last look on her face before she shut her door. It had been clear that she enjoyed herself during the evening, but those moments after each kiss surpassed all others. She had tasted exactly as he had remembered. Had he any misunderstanding about why she bought his date, her behavior during that smoldering kiss cleared all that up.

It didn't really astonish him that his second kiss had been her undoing. She probably wasn't used to men being as careful as him. He wasn't exactly positive how this relationship was going to play out, so he wanted to take it nice and slow. Perhaps it was a bit old-fashioned of him, but that was the type of guy he was.

Knowing how well this date had ended, he couldn't begin to predict how the next night was going to go. There wouldn't be as many things to do, so there wasn't quite the same amount of pressure as with this one. He was planning on simply relaxing and focusing on his Bones, and he couldn't think of a better way to spend his Saturday night.

* * *

Amazingly, Brennan didn't collapse on the floor; she actually made it to her couch and sat down. She had ended plenty of dates with a goodnight kiss at her door, but none of them had quite the same effect on her before. Raising her hands to her lips, she remembered each distinct kiss that she had shared with Booth.

She had basically initiated the first, passionate one. There was much speculation around the lab about how good of a kisser Booth would be, and the gossip didn't give him justice. Apparently their kiss under the mistletoe wasn't one he was prepared for because it also paled in comparison.

The second kiss, however, was truly unexpected. Booth's second, gentle kiss conveyed an entirely different set of emotions. Somehow he managed to portray his affection, respect and care for her in way she was unaccustomed to. Most of the men she had dated had never had the opportunity to know her as well as Booth, and she typically kept them at arms length. In retrospect, the kiss shouldn't have surprised her. It was completely in character for him.

This evening, Booth had clearly been leading the events and motions. As much as she enjoyed the evening, she wanted to make it completely clear to him that she also enjoyed taking the reigns in a relationship. Throughout most of the evening, she wanted him to be the one who couldn't form a coherent sentence. This alpha-female planned on stepping up her game.

* * *

A/N: Thought we needed a bit of insight into what they thought of the first date....and don't worry, you don't have to wait too long for the beginning of the second date.


	15. 2nd, 1st Date: A Different Present

15. 2nd, 1st Date: A Different Present

Booth checked himself over in his mirror. After the formality of the previous evening, he wanted to wear something slightly more comfortable. That was the main reason he had chosen the gray sweater instead of a collared shirt. He had also remembered that Angela had made a rather flattering remark about the sweater when they had all gone out one evening. If Angela had thought it made him look good, he figured it was a safe bet Bones would as well.

He was having a hard time grasping the notion that he was actually going on a real date with Bones. If he were still a betting man, he wouldn't have bet on them attempting a relationship this early. Not that he was complaining, but his beautiful partner still had a number of walls surrounding her heart. It made him realize that he must have worked his way further into her life than he was willing to acknowledge.

Grabbing his leather coat and keys, he eagerly bounded out towards the SUV to pick up his date.

He arrived at her door and quickly knocked on her door.

A faint voice was heard through the door. "Coming!"

He braced himself to see her and was completely shocked at what he saw. She was wearing a big puffy bathrobe and walking around barefoot.

"Hey Bones." He grinned at her unusual appearance.

"Hey." She gave him a brilliant smile. "Sorry Booth, but I'm running late. Please come in. I should only be a few more minutes and then we can leave."

"Ok, don't worry about it. We don't have any specific time constraints this evening."

"Good. I'll return in about 10 minutes."

He watched her walk down her hallway and was fascinated by her bare feet. They were so delicate and gave her a sense of innocence. He enjoyed seeing her not all put together.

Entirely too wired to sit down for 10 minutes, he contented himself with perusing her bookshelves and letting his mind wander. He was so used to Bones being punctual and admonishing him when he arrived late. The thought of her taking a long time to get ready for a date with him helped sooth his nerves a bit.

Brennan smirked to herself in her full-length mirror. Angela was right; Booth would never know what hit him. She put a hand over her stomach as she felt fluttering deep within her. It was very unlike her to get nervous for a date. She tried to assure herself that this was no different than any other evening, but even she had stopped listening to her excuses. It was a BIG freaking deal as Angela might say. She was beginning a relationship with her closest friend and the opportunities for this to fail were endless in number.

She heard a noise coming from the other room that reminded her that the man in question was patiently waiting for her. She took a deep breath and left her bedroom with every intention of driving Booth crazy all evening.

He was glancing at a charming picture of all the squints when he heard the distinct sound of high heels strutting down the hallway. Turning slowly, he noticed the shoes first. He never understood how women walked in heels that high, but he always appreciated the effect they produced. The infinitely long legs of his partner that were often hidden under dress slacks were completely free to tease him this evening. She seemed to be wearing a simple black dress that wasn't too short or too revealing in the neckline. He walked over to her.

"You look beautiful Temperance."

"Thank you." Her eyes quickly scanned his form. "You look handsome as well."

"No present this evening?" She teased.

"Haha…no. I figured if I had tried that again, I would have had to endure a lecture on the absurdities of dating rituals."

She gave him a sweet smile. "You're a quick learner. And just because of that, I got you something." She walked away from him with a smirk and headed towards the kitchen counter.

As he watched her leave, his jaw dropped. What he hadn't seen before was that her dress was completely deceiving from the front. The back of her dress was basically non-existent down to her waist, down to the small of her back that he knew so well. He tried to swallow the lump in his throat and his hands were already itching to touch that alluring skin so visible before him.

She grabbed the present and revolved to see the stunned look on his face. Attempting to fix an innocent look on her face she asked. "Something wrong?"

He blinked once and seemed to regain his composure. "No Bones." He pulled out a charm smile. "Nothing wrong at all."

She returned the smile. "Good." She handed him the present. "This is for you."

The small package was wrapped with precision, giving just another indication of her meticulous nature. Despite the delicateness of the wrapping, Booth tore into the paper. He could tell it was a DVD and was shocked when he saw it was "The Dark Knight."

"Wow!" He sounded just like a little kid at Christmas. "This is a great movie. How did you know to get this?"

"I searched around the internet to determine which movies had just been released, and I saw this was one of the most popular movies of the year. I also determined that it was based on a comic book, and I know you enjoy reading those. It seemed logical that you would have seen this movie and probably enjoyed it."

Booth gave her a heartwarming gaze. "Thank you Bones." He looked back down at the DVD. "And now we have our first movie to watch together for a date night."

She nodded in approval. "Good, but we really should be leaving. It doesn't make sense to spend our evening discussing what we will be doing on a separate evening."

"Very true. Let's get your coat and we can be out of here." He placed his gift on her coffee table to be watched later. He was slightly thankful when her thick dress coat covered her slender back; his self-restraint was going to be sorely tested this evening.

As they climbed into his SUV, Brennan asked, "So, no heat rod tonight?" Booth scrunched his face in confusion for a second before he understood her question. "Oh, you mean hot rod. I figured we would be more comfortable riding in here."

Brennan gave a small smile. "I see your point. I have grown accustomed to this seat, though I wouldn't mind driving occasionally." Booth gave her a glance. "Not gonna happen Bones. I like driving you around and since this vehicle is issued to me, there is no point arguing."

"Hmph." She tried to sound annoyed, but couldn't bring herself to ruin the evening. She simply muttered under her breath. "Alpha male."

He looked over to ensure she wasn't truly upset with him. When he noticed her trying to suppress a smile, he couldn't let her have the last word. "Last time I checked, you enjoyed the fact that I'm an alpha male."

* * *

A/N: Ok, so when I originally wrote this, "The Dark Knight" had just come out. Now it seems slightly out of date, but whatever; it still works.


	16. 2nd, 1st Date: The Check

16. 2nd, 1st Date: The Check

They ate at a nice steakhouse. Booth had tried to dissuade Brennan from eating there, but she had insisted that she could find something suitable to eat. She wanted him to enjoy his evening as well. As they were sharing a piece of chocolate cake, he bravely reached for her hand across the table.

"Did you enjoy your salad?" he asked with concern, still feeling guilty for the choice in restaurant.

"I enjoyed it immensely," she assured him. "But you know what would really make me happy?"

His eyes glistened imagining what she might ask for. "What would that be?"

She looked at him directly. "To pay for dinner."

He immediately shook his head. "No, I asked you on the date, I'm going to pay."

"That is a ridiculous reason Booth. If we are going to date, you _have_ to let me pay as much as you. We are equal partners in this relationship." She accentuated this statement by lacing her fingers between his. As their hands blended together, his eyes were drawn to the display of affection.

He offered up one last refuting statement. "But I'm _supposed_ to pay." There was a slight whine in his voice, signaling his losing battle.

She gave him a hard look. "Seeley…" As he looked into her eyes, he saw her determination. He closed his eyes as he hung his head and thought about why he was so adamant about paying. It was his nature to be a gentleman. It was also in her nature to be independent. He could see how important this was to her and he wanted to respect her in this relationship. In the end, it was a simple decision. He sighed in defeat, another argument lost.

Raising his head with confidence, he looked at her with gentleness. "I would be incredibly grateful if you would pay for dinner."

She responded with a beautiful smile. So often with her other dates, when she insisted on paying, men would simply ignore her or worse, laugh at her 'feminist mentality.' Gazing at her current date, she saw a man who knew her amazingly well and never asked her to be something she wasn't.

"Thank you. That means a lot to me."

* * *

A/N: I just thought this is a nice peak into what their relationship would really be like...


	17. 2nd, 1st Date: Jazz

17. 2nd, 1st Date: Jazz

She eagerly paid the bill and they left for the jazz club. Brennan had never been to this particular club, but Booth was clearly familiar with the place. He greeted the doorman by name and gave an extra tip to the man who checked their coats. As they walked into the main room, Booth's hand automatically reached to Brennan's back to lead her in before him. However, unlike normal, he came into direct contact with her warm skin. He inhaled sharply at the sensation. Brennan appeared unfazed because she had been expecting the moment all evening.

He directed them towards a small table in the corner. It was a favorite spot of his and he had often imagined bringing his Bones here to enjoy an evening with him. The place was fairly dark and scattered with people. A five piece jazz band was playing while several couples danced in the middle of the room.

Though the two chairs were set on opposite sides of the table, once Brennan sat down, Booth scooted he chair close to hers. He casually draped his arm around her chair and they simply relaxed and listed to the slow chords emanating from the stage.

Remembering her plan of keeping Booth on edge, she gently placed her hand on his thigh. Every couple of seconds she would gently rub her thumb back and forth. Booth for his own part was completely torn. The music and surroundings was calming his senses, but those senses couldn't help but start to race at the feeling of her delicate hand on his leg.

After about 15 minutes, Booth spoke. "I'm going to go get a drink, would you like something?" He simply needed to take a minute to regain control.

She looked over at him. "Thanks, that would be great. I'll have a…"

"Pinot noir," he interrupted. "Yeah," she said with slight confusion. "How did you...nevermind." Looking at his charm smile gave her the answer she was looking for. She watched him walk away with appreciation. Since they were now dating, there was a sense of freedom in being able to openly admire his body.

The soft notes drifting through the air were completely mesmerizing to her. Closing her eyes, she focused on the how the tones and instruments mixed together to create new sounds and emotions. She was perfectly content sitting there listening to the music when she realized that Booth hadn't returned with their drinks.

Opening her eyes, she searched the room for her date. She located him at the bar. He still hadn't acquired their drinks, but he appeared to be busy doing something else. Jealousy flamed within her as she saw him talking to a rather gorgeous redhead. It wasn't as if she didn't trust him, but the woman was being incredibly forward. Brennan decided that she needed to remind Booth exactly who he was on a date with and show that woman that he was already taken.

Throwing a little more sway into her hips, she slowly strutted towards the bar. His body was facing her direction, so it didn't take too long before he noticed her walking their way. She noticed the moment he got distracted because he stopped mid-sentence.

The woman at the bar got slightly miffed once she realized she was being ignored. She turned to determine who was upstaging her. Once she saw the confident woman walking towards the man next to her, she gave up. It seemed she already had a claim over him. The woman noticed it in the way they looked at each other; everyone else seemed to vanish. She sighed deeply and left to talk to another man at the end of the bar.

Brennan finally made her way over to Booth. "Having some trouble getting our drinks?" He motioned to the bartender. "Yeah, well he seems to be ignoring me." She looked between the bartender at the woman he had been conversing with. "You seemed to be keeping yourself busy in the meantime."

He had the dignity to appear sheepish. Clearing his throat, he tried to dig himself out of the hole he found himself in. "Now, Bones…" She interrupted him by tugging on his arm and smirking at him. "I'm not upset." She watched the relief spread across his face. "Now come dance with me."

She slowly led him by the hand onto the dimly lit dance floor. The number currently playing was a rather sensual melody being led by the upright bass. Once they stopped on the floor, Booth went to lead her in a dance. She surprised him however by deliberately moving her hands up his chest to around his neck, drawing her body amazingly close to his. The woman was determined to kill him before the evening was over.

His hands found their way to her hips and they moved to the beat of the music. With his thumbs gently moving across her hips and the music adding to the mood, her eyes drifted shut in ecstasy. Booth looked down at the amazing woman he was dancing with, saw the look on her face and never thought she had looked so beautiful. He decided to tell her so.

"Temperance?" Her eyes opened. "Hmm?" He lifted a hand to her hold her chin up. "Have I told you how incredibly beautiful you are?" He was rewarded with a simple, but completely genuine smile that was all Temperance Brennan. He did the only logical thing next, he kissed her.

The kiss was just about to get out of control when the song ended. He regretfully pulled back. Placing his forehead on hers, he tried to control his breathing. With a bit of pride, he noticed that she seemed to be a little unsteady as well. He reached his hand around to her back to make sure she didn't fall over. It almost sent him back over the edge as he kept forgetting about the lack of fabric covering her back.

Noticing the change in the tone of the song now being played, he determined it would be safer to shift the mood of their dance. He brought one her hands down from around his neck so he could hold it close to him. She acknowledged his change in form by lowering her other arm so that she could rest her head on his shoulder. They were completely content to continue dancing like that for the rest of the evening.


	18. 2nd, 1st Date: Coffee

18. 2nd, 1st Date: Coffee

After an evening of dancing, they finally made their way back to Brennan's apartment. Booth was hesitating outside her door, unsure how to end their date. He didn't think it could surpass the previous evening, but Brennan usually knew how to surprise him. She looked up to see his adorably cute, but nervous face. She thoroughly enjoyed that she had that sort of effect on him.

He seemed to want to say something, but couldn't find the words. She didn't really want the evening to end with a goodnight kiss, so she spoke up. "Do you want to come in?" His eyes flew up to hers with equal parts excitement and fear. "For coffee?" She clarified and saw him relax. He gave her a lovely smile. "I would love to."

After entering her apartment and disposing of their coats, she started walking backwards towards her bedroom. "I'm just going to slip into something more comfortable." She said it like it made all the sense in the world to her; Booth on the other hand tried to swallow the lump lodged in the middle of his throat.

He sat down at her kitchen counter and recited the state capitals to distract himself from images of Bones undressing. She quickly emerged wearing yoga pants and a tank top and started busying herself by making coffee. He chuckled to himself. When Bones invited someone in for coffee and said she was changing into something comfortable, that's exactly what she did. Any indication of sexual innuendo was lost to her, and it made her that much more irresistible to him.

She noticed him laughing and asked, "What's so funny?" He simply continued to look at her. "Nothing Bones, just watching you make coffee." Her face screwed up in confusion and she replied with a hint of annoyance as she turned the coffee maker on. "I don't understand. How is me making coffee funny?" Booth sensed her insecurity creeping up again and he moved around the counter to squash it.

He stepped up behind her and wrapped his arms around her slim waist. "There's nothing funny about it. In fact…watching you work in your kitchen, making me coffee…it's kind of sexy." She felt herself leaning back onto his firm chest, enjoying the feel of him surrounding him. Listening to him tell her she was sexy was quite enjoyable as well.

She began to feel his lips nuzzling her neck and she ran her hands over the ones that were resting on her stomach. "Oh really?" she considered for a moment. "I suppose with your love of food, a woman who was comfortable in a kitchen would be attractive to you." He gave her a quick kiss on her neck before agreeing with her. "Oh yeah…it's so _domestic_." He drew out that last word with a smirk and earned an indignant huff from the woman in his arms.

She spun around and hit him, not so lightly, on the arm. "Seeley Booth, I am anything but domestic." He chuckled lightly, seeing the fire in her eyes. "Don't I know it." She rolled her eyes in typical fashion and shoved him out of her kitchen. "Go sit in the living room. I'll bring the coffee in a minute or two."

He left her to handle the coffee while he went to set up a movie for them to watch. Thankful that she had finally caved to buy a TV, a plasma TV no less, he selected a classic, "The Princess Bride". Apparently it was the only movie she ever watched in college and her roommate had given it to her as a present. As the menu popped up on the screen she came up behind him. "I figured we were watching 'The Dark Knight'." He accepted the coffee offered him. "I thought about it, but decided it was a little intense for a first date." She smiled at simply phrase 'first date'; it made her feel incredibly juvenile and she relished the feeling.

About a half hour into the movie they had finished their coffee and had really begun to relax. In her simple tank top, Brennan shivered and instinctively scooted closer to Booth. He noticed goosebumps along her arm and grabbed the blanket behind them. She was truly beginning to appreciate his alpha-maleness as he pulled her close, reminding her of their carriage ride the night before.

With the soft blanket over her and Booth relaxing underneath her, she started drifting off halfway through the movie. When the movie ended, Booth looked down and saw the peaceful face of his partner/date. He enjoyed being able to use both titles in regards to her. Thankful that the remotes were still within his reach, he turned off the TV. He hadn't planned on spending the night on their first date, but he really couldn't bring himself to move her when she was sleeping so soundly. He simply shifted down a little to get more comfortable and had no problem falling asleep. It was the best first date he could remember having.


	19. Her Idea

19. Her Idea

It was a Wednesday and they were sitting at the diner for lunch. Seeley Booth was reliving the wonderful past two weeks since he had starting dating his Bones. Temperance Brennan was casually stealing his fries while she looked out the window with an expression of deep thought. He didn't mind the silence because they were comfortable in each other's presence. That, and he could unabashedly stare at her without any scathing remarks.

As he mentally listed all the amazing qualities about his partner, he became increasingly bewildered. He strived to think of anything he might have done that would entitle him to be in a relationship with such an amazing woman. He looked down as he realized there was nothing he could ever do that would make him worthy of her. He was brought out of his thoughts with her voice.

"Seeley, I've realized that I'm slightly disappointed with how our dating relationship has progressed." He immediately looked up with fear in his eyes. Her eyes were crystal blue and she was speaking with her 'logical voice,' which he often had a hard time arguing with. He felt a sense of dread as he braced for her rejection. How could he have thought that they could have a 'happily ever after' story? Brennan continued.

"We've been on 12 dates over the past two and half weeks…" Booth was momentarily distracted. "Twelve dates?! There's no way we've been on twelve dates." That seemed like such a large number in such a short amount of time. Brennan tilted her head as she listed off every date. "After our first real date we went to the movie theater twice, out dancing three times, we have both cooked for each other, went on a picnic, walked around the zoo, attended Parker's school production and saw that ridiculous comedian you enjoy so much."

Booth mentally checked off every date in his head. He admitted to himself that about half of those hadn't really seemed like dates, but when she listed them like that he had nothing to do but agree. "Wow…yeah, I guess you're right." Sobering up, he prepared for all her logical reasons why they should stop dating. "As I was saying, we've been on twelve dates and I haven't gotten to plan any of them. You arrange everything and that doesn't seem fair."

Booth sat there. Then he blinked. "Sorry? You're upset because I've planned all of our dates?" She looked at his bewildered face. "Well yes. We should have equal distribution in all aspects of our relationship. I'm very thankful that you've agreed to this with regards to paying for meals, but it applies to this as well."

He chuckled with immense relief then reached for her hand and looked in her eyes. "I'm sorry Temperance. I didn't realize that it was bothering you. Would you like to decide what we do on our next date?" She finally gave him a smile. "Yes, I would like that very much." All sense of dread left Booth. He had been worried over nothing. "You know Bones, you going to have to communicate with me a little better. If you have certain expectations about our relationship, you need to tell me _before_ you get mad at me." She gave him a thoughtful look, then responded. "That seems acceptable, provided you reciprocate." Giving her a smirk, he kissed her hand. "As always."

Brennan stole another fry. "Good, I already have everything planned for our date Saturday night." Booth's face fell slightly. "We can't do it Saturday, I told you I have Parker all weekend." It stung a little that she didn't remember. Brennan looked unfazed. "I know that. We're all going together," she said with a smile. "I've already got the tickets."

Her enthusiasm was met with a skeptical look from Booth. He could only imagine what kind of 'anthropological lecture' she had gotten tickets for, and none of them would keep a 8-yr old boy entertained. Brennan's smile faded as she noticed Booth's face. "What is it?" Booth voiced his concern. "I don't think that is such a good idea. Parker probably won't want to go to whatever it is you have planned. His attention span is rather short."

She crossed her arms to try and hide her feelings, but her eyes revealed how much this statement actually hurt. "Booth, I know Parker is a young child and I certainly know what would be appropriate for someone his age." Booth saw the flicker of hurt cross her face, but he was still unconvinced. "Look, Parker is…" She interrupted him. "Do you trust me?" He sighed. "Bones, I think…" Again she interrupted with a bit more ice in her voice. "It's a simple yes or no answer. Do you trust me to ensure that Parker will enjoy himself during the evening?"

He searched her face for his answer. He remembered the list he made earlier about all her amazing qualities. Parker was precious to him and he was ridiculously protective of him. However, he knew he didn't need to do so with regards to his Bones. In truth, he wasn't sure why he was being so difficult at the moment. "Yes, of course I trust you. I don't know what I was thinking." He sheepishly looked down. "I guess you just caught me off guard, that's all. Sorry." Brennan seemed satisfied with his answer.

They spent the rest of the meal discussing their current lack of casework while Booth tried racking his brain to figure out what their date on Saturday would be like.


	20. Change His Mind

20. Change His Mind

Whenever Booth was in the Jeffersonian, he seemed to be chasing down Bones. Today was no exception. However, usually he was hunting her down because they had an investigation and she had valuable information about evidence. Today he was after a different type of information. It was Friday and he couldn't seem to wait until Saturday night to find out what their date was. It wasn't that he was really opposed to surprises, but the suspense of this one was killing him. He saw Bones walking across the lab with her head in a file.

"Bones!" He shouted out to her with his best charm smile. She looked up with a smile on her face and closed her file. "This is an unexpected visit." God she was gorgeous. It never ceased to amaze him. He stopped in front of her. "I wanted to see my wonderful girlfriend." He held out a lovely bouquet of daisies. "And to give you these." Her eyes brightened even further as she accepted the flowers and inhaled their perfume. "That was sweet of you."

After a moment's pause, she looked up at him with narrow eyes. "Why are you really here?" Booth tried to look genuinely offended. "Do I need to have a reason to see you? Geez Bones, you really know how to hurt a guy." She studied his face carefully. "I do know that you are particularly fond of overtly romantic gestures, but the timing of this particular one leads me to believe you have an ulterior motive."

Damn! How does she do that? He tried to pull of a non-chalant tone. "Well perhaps I may have been hoping for a slight hint about the type of activity you have planned for us tomorrow evening."

Brennan let out a groan of frustration and walked around him to head toward her office. "I find it hard to believe that you are being this childish about this date." He quickly turned to follow her. "I am not being childish," he retorted. She let out a sharp laugh. "Believe me, you are. Something is not proceeding precisely as you desire, so you condescend to whining about it." Uselessly pointing a finger at her retreating figure, he tried defending himself. "I am _not_ whining. I may be voicing my frustration with the situation, but that is hardly whining."

They had finally reached her office. She set down her file and flowers, then turned to look at him across the room. She understood what he was feeling, but that didn't mean she was going to back down. She sighed deeply.

"What am I going to do with you?" Booth sheepishly looked at the ground. "What do you mean?" She walked around the front of the desk, now only a few feet away from him. "I mean that you are being rather hypocritical because you always enjoy surprising me, but you won't allow me to return the gesture." She put her hands on her hips and looked up at the ceiling. "Such an alpha male, never wanting to relinquish authority."

As they stood there at an apparent standoff, she thought of a nearly foolproof way to make him concede. She had rarely used what Angela would call her 'feminine wiles' to accomplish what she wanted, but she felt it was time that Booth knew what it felt like to get charmed into submission. She set her face into a sexy grin, and swayed her hips a little as she slowly stepped towards him.

Booth immediately sensed the change in her attitude, and knew he was in trouble. She stopped directly in front of him and ran her hands up his chest at an excruciatingly slow pace. Brennan dropped her voice to a husky tone. "I don't understand why you don't want to let me have control."

He apparently had no power over his hands as they settled low on her hips. She continued her slow torture as she threaded her fingers through the hair at the base of his neck. "I _really_ like taking control. I'm fairly good at it and I think you would enjoy it." Booth was completely mesmerized as her lips were hovering over his. She finished with a whisper. "In fact, I can guarantee you'll enjoy it."

She completely dove into the kiss. He was utterly helpless as she set the tone and changed it on a whim. As the kiss ran on, she abruptly stopped and pulled back, leaving him hanging on the edge. Frustrated at the loss of contact he moaned her name and reached to bring her back to him.

She gave him a cocky smile that resembled his usual one. "See, now didn't you enjoy that?" He lifted up his hand to caress her face and looked at the lips that had just ravished him. "Apparently I enjoy submitting control more than I thought," he said, slightly breathless.

Her voice was almost a purr as she responded. "That's what I suspected," she paused to make sure he was listening, "which is also why you are going to let me drive tomorrow night."

Before he could protest, she silenced him with a second searing kiss. Later, when his mind wasn't reduced to mush, he would marvel at exactly how Temperance Brennan had so neatly changed his mind without any resistance on his part whatsoever.


	21. No Flowers?

21. No flowers?

The two Booth men had been attempting to leave the apartment for the last ten minutes, but as usual, they were running a little behind. "Ok buddy, this time I'm going to double knot your shoes so you don't trip and spill something else all over you." Parker giggled at Booth's half-hearted rebuke.

With his head still bowed, Booth asked Parker, "What time is it?" Glancing at the clocked, Parker counted in his head.

"Uh…1:43."

Finishing the last shoe, Booth looked at his son with a smile. "Ok, let's go. It's not polite to be late for our date with Bones." Parker responded by running to grab his coat.

As they were heading toward the car, Booth held Parker's hand while he carried a large basket in the other. "Dad, I thought you said that when you went on a date with a pretty girl, you're supposed to bring her flowers."

Booth chuckled at his romantically minded son. "That's true, usually. But yesterday, your dad brought Bones flowers at work, so I thought that we should bring her something special."

Parker eyed the basket with suspicion. "But fruit? Dad, she can get fruit at the store." Booth loaded his son and the fruit into the SUV, then gave his son a wink. "Trust me bub, she'll love it."

In no time, they arrived at Brennan's apartment. Booth held the basket out to his son. "You want to give this to Bones?"

His son's eyes lit up with excitement. "Sure!" Making sure Parker had a good grip, Booth knocked on the door.

Brennan had just put her second earring in when she heard the knock on her door. She opened it to find a remarkable sight. Seeley Booth stood proudly with his hand on his son's shoulders. He wore black pants, a black sweater and a bright blue shirt underneath that seemed to match her eyes had she given it any thought. The younger Booth was dressed similarly with a black and blue striped sweater. In his small hands was a rather large basket filled with exotic fruit.

She greeted them with a smile and invited them inside. Once she closed the door, she looked down at Parker. "What do you have there?"

Parker looked up at her with a smile that closely resembled one she saw on an almost daily basis. "This is for you, Dr. Bones."

She hunched down to get a better look at what was in the basket. "You brought me fruit?" She couldn't help the huge grin or the slight laughter that escaped her lips as she gave Booth a quick look. Returning her gaze to Parker she told him, "No one has ever brought me fruit before. That was very sweet of you, thank you."

She stood up and reached for the basket. "I'll just go ahead and put this in the kitchen."

Parker immediately held his gift closer to himself and said with confidence, "I'll carry it in for you." With a brief look of surprise, she led him towards the kitchen.

As Booth looked at his son with immense pride, he took a moment to fully appreciate the beautiful woman that he was dating. She wore a halter-top dress that had a bold, black and white zebra pattern. He had always thought animal prints looked ridiculous, but he was once again amazed as his Bones pulled it off with success. The effect of the dress just made her extremely exotic and even sexier than usual. She also wore blood red lipstick that was just begging him to kiss her senseless.

His heart was overflowing with emotion as Brennan talked to his son with animation and affection. They seemed to be discussing the origin of all the fruits that were residing in the basket. Brennan seemed to feel his intense gaze on her as she glanced up and locked her eyes with his. She gently broke the moment as her and Parker re-entered the living room.

They were walking out towards the SUV when she turned to him with a coy smile and held out her hand. "Time to hand over the keys Booth."

He reluctantly dug out his keys and quietly mumbled, "I still don't know how you talked me into this."

As she removed the keys from his hand she leaned forward and whispered in his ear. "If I recall correctly, there weren't many words exchanged when I _convinced_ you." She backed up slowly and bit her bottom lip in a playful manner. He growled lightly as he stuffed his hands in his pockets to control himself.

Booth loaded up Parker in the back and climbed into the passenger side of his vehicle. After buckling his seat belt he noticed his girlfriend's face. She was practically glowing and seemed to be bubbling with excitement. In that moment, he vowed never to complain about being surprised and even considered letting her drive occasionally if it had this effect on her.

For about fifteen minutes, she drove with precision as they talked about random things. Booth was actually beginning to relax while she was sitting at the wheel. Never before had a woman had such a remarkable affect on him. He enjoyed the way she challenged him to accept new situations and he wondered if he had any effect like this on her.

They parked in a garage without Booth or Parker having any idea what they were going to do. Booth lifted Parker up on his hip and threaded his hand with Brennan's. She gently led them on a short walk. They finally rounded a corner and Booth halted when he saw what lay before him.

Parker's exclamation could be heard a block away. "Wow! Dr. Bones, this is great!" Booth turned to gaze at Bones. His jaw was slack, but had a hint of smile on his lips. "_This_ is where you're taking us?"

* * *

A/N: So how much longer should I wait before I reveal the destination?? muahaha.....


	22. How did she know?

22. How did she know?

Bones stood with obvious glee as her surprise was met with such excitement. The three of them stood in front of a theater that had a giant banner declaring the showing of Disney's Lion King: The Musical.

Parker bounced with so much energy that Booth had to put him down. As soon as his feet hit the ground, he grabbed Brennan's hand to pull her down. "Are we really going to see the Lion King? That is absolutely my favorite movie ever!"

She chuckled at his enthusiasm. "I remember. You told me that one day at the diner. I'm glad you're excited about seeing it.

Booth held out his hand to help Brennan stand back up. His mouth was still slightly ajar as he tried to form a sentence. "How did you…I mean, this is…"

She looked at him with a small smile. "I recall Parker mentioning how much he loved the Lion King and I've heard how amazing the live show is. I thought it would be something we all could enjoy together."

He looked at her with apologetic eyes. "Bones, I-" She quickly put a hand over his mouth to silence him.

"You don't have to apologize. It was right for you to be concerned about Parker; he is your son. Let's just focus on enjoying ourselves today."

Booth pulled her in for a short, but sweet kiss. "You are amazing, and I don't deserve you."

Her eyes were bright from the display of affection. "That may be, but I like you regardless."

He gave her a brilliant smile that resulted from her obvious flirting with him.

They made their way into the theater and found their seats. Booth was shocked to find they were seated near the front, right next to the aisle. They sat with Brennan on the aisle and Parker between them. Booth was slightly disappointed he wouldn't be sitting next to his date, but it made more sense to have his son in the middle.

Parker was eagerly looking through the program as they waited for the show to begin. Booth was delighted to find that if he stretched his arm out, he could just reach the back of Brennan's neck. He gently stroked his fingers over her skin as he looked over Parker's shoulder to read the program.

After a few more moments, the lights dimmed and the exotic music began. Booth had never really been one to enjoy musicals, but even he could appreciate a good Disney movie. He was actually excited to see the show. As each animal came on stage, he was stunned at how amazing each one looked. Considering how much he was enjoying it already, he looked down at his son to see his expression. Parker, however, was pointing with excitement and whispering to Brennan.

Suddenly they heard the crowd gasp behind them and they turned to see more characters walking up the aisles right next to them. Parker finally looked around to his father.

"Dad, this is so cool!"

Booth laughed quietly. "It sure is, now let's continue watching it."

They continued to watch the first part of the show. Soon it came to the part that Booth was slightly dreading, the part where Mufasa got caught in a stampede. Parker always made him fast forward through the movie and Booth knew that the thought of a son losing his father scared him. As he expected, Parker started to squirm with unease as the sound of the stampede increased. With the love of a father, Booth gently pulled Parker to his lap and caressed his back.

The scene neared the ending as several of the characters began singing a mournful song in an African dialect. The music was completely new to him, but the sound was enchanting. He happened to glance at Brennan and was surprised to see a lonely tear slip down her cheek. It wasn't often that she let her walls down and her emotions emerged. He longed to brush away that tear, but didn't want to interrupt whatever moment she was held in.

Not long after that, the first act ended with a loud and rambunctious number. Parker was no longer clinging to him and was contentedly sitting back in his own chair.

"Dad, did you see the boy that played Simba? I can't believe he got to do that. He was the same age as me!"

Booth was glad that Parker was enjoying himself so much. He never would have expected him to sit through a musical at a theater like this; it was a great experience for him.

As these thoughts played through his head, he was once again reminded that he was dating an amazing woman. He looked over to her and asked what she thought of the show.

"Well Booth, I am actually quite impressed. It's fascinating to watch how they've incorporated the African culture into a show that is designed to entertain an entire family. I'm glad to see they've managed to be authentic with the portrayal. I wasn't expecting such a high quality performance in the material or the execution of the music."

He smiled at her squint-like analysis of the performance while he slowly twirled a lock of hair around his finger. Booth glanced down to make sure Parker was completely immersed in studying the colorful pictures in his lap before asking Brennan the question that had been on his mind. He made sure his voice was quiet and soothing before he began talking.

"I noticed that you were crying earlier during one of the songs. What was it that made you cry?"

The smile that had been on her face faltered as sadness once again overtook her features. She looked down at her lap, trying to regain some of her composure. Booth patiently waited, knowing she would talk to him when she was ready. Her eyes eventually made their way to his and she took a deep breath.

"The song that was being performed was one I've heard before, but in a much different place than here. I've been to Africa several times to identify bodies discovered in massive graves. Many times, there have been women present who would sing something very similar to what you heard. It's a song that conveys the despair of those being left behind while retaining hope that their loved ones have peace in the afterlife. It's been a long time since I've thought about those memories and I suppose I was caught off guard. The women on stage sang with such sincerity and emotion. And though I knew it wasn't possible, I nearly believed that I was back in Africa."


	23. The younger Booth’s charm smile

23. The younger Booth's charm smile 

As the rest of the second act continued, the three audience members, who looked remarkably like a tight-knit family, were completely immersed in the lights, colors and music of the performance. Though the show may have been directed toward kids like Parker, Temperance and Seeley were enjoying themselves just as much. As the whole cast took the stage at the end of the finale, everyone jumped to their feet in a standing ovation.

As the crowd began migrating towards the exits, Booth lifted his son into his arms to prevent him from being lost in the small stampede. They finally made their way to the lobby where the crowd thinned out a bit. Booth led them towards a large cardboard display in the corner that Parker had been looking at when they came in. It was a scene from the movie with all the main characters.

Booth set his son down and turned to Brennan. "Hey, I think I forgot my program in the theater. Do you think you two will be ok while I go grab another one real quick?" He tried to ask the question casually so that she didn't suspect any other motive behind his actions.

Brennan gave a quick look at Parker then responded. "Sure, I think we should be adequately occupied for the time being."

Booth gave her a sweet smile. "Thanks. I'll be right back."

He bounded up the giant staircase that led towards the theater even though he had a slightly different destination in mind.

While they were waiting, Brennan sat down on a small bench near the wall and Parker began skipping around in small circles. Apparently Parker's energy was contagious as two other children joined him. Brennan watched with a bit of pride in Booth as his son so easily interacted with others. As she was observing, the little girl playing with him tripped and landed with an ungraceful thump. Though it was clear she was uninjured, Parker quickly went over to make certain she was okay and help her up. Unfortunately the little girl's brother wasn't paying attention and rammed into Parker, which sent him crashing into the large display. The elaborate display was slightly unbalanced and the top of the display fell over and knocked Parker in the head.

Brennan hurried over to check Parker. Though it was only cardboard, she was sure it had startled him and she wanted to see if he had any cuts. She helped a slightly stunned Parker carefully sit up and she noticed a small cut on his forehead.

"Parker, are you alright?"

He gave her a slightly confused look as he glanced around. "Uh, yeah. I think so. What happened?"

She motioned towards the other children, whose mother had rushed over to survey the damage. Brennan explained what had happened. "The three of you were playing when the other young boy accidentally pushed you into the display."

The other family had made their way over to where Parker was sitting. The young boy reached to help Parker stand up. "I'm sorry I knocked you down."

Parker accepted the help and stood up carefully. "It's okay. I know you didn't mean to."

Parker turned to the little girl, whose blond curls were hiding her turned down face. "Are you okay?"

At his question, she lifted her head.

"I'm fine. Thank you for helping me up."

Parker gave the girl a smile that Brennan immediately recognized. "You're welcome."

Brennan realized that the Booth charm smile apparently worked at any age as the little girl blushed and hid her face in her mother's skirt.

The children's mother watched the interaction with amusement. Then she turned to Brennan. "I'm so sorry about all this. My son tends to be a little rambunctious."

Brennan glanced at the three children. "There is nothing to be sorry for. It was clearly an accident and no one is seriously injured."

The woman relaxed further as it was clear no one was upset. She gave another glance towards Parker and her daughter before speaking again. "It seems your son is quite the charmer."

Brennan and Parker exchanged a quick look and she decided not to correct the woman.

"Yes, well, he apparently inherited it from his father." Parker smiled even further at being compared to his dad.

Booth in fact had been standing at the top of the staircase watching the scene with fascination. He had completed his little mission and had returned to the stairs just as Brennan helped Parker sit up. As it was clear Parker was fine, Booth remained where he was to observe his Bones effortlessly handle the situation. He was practically giddy that Brennan and his son got along so well. It was so critically important to him that the two most important people in his life had a good relationship. He finally decide to head down the stairs when he saw what appeared to be an angry manager make her way towards the toppled display. He suspected that the fairly calm situation was about to become much more animated.

When the manager reached the group, she began speaking in a rather loud voice. "What happened over here?"

She glared at the children who began moving towards their respective adult supervisions. "I hope you realize that you have ruined a rather expensive display." She then turned on the adults. "We expect our patrons to control their children and prevent them from treating the theater lobby like a playground."

The mother of the two children looked completely ashamed and was clearly about to apologize when Brennan moved to stand in front of the fuming woman.

Booth had slowly moved behind the group and had placed a reassuring hand on his son's shoulders. Booth braced himself for what was sure to be a sound lashing for the unsuspecting manager. Brennan was never one to disappoint her partner. Brennan looked the woman in the eye and spoke calmly.

"First of all I would like to point out that your attitude is completely disproportionate to the situation. Let me explain to you that 'what happened over here' was an innocent mistake. The children were simply enjoying themselves and had your display been sufficiently secured, we would not be in this particular predicament. Seeing as the current production's target audience is young children, I would hope that the lobby is adequately prepared for the temperament of such guests. Furthermore, in circumstances such as these, I would expect your first concern to be the welfare of anyone involved rather than the state of your beloved display. Last time I checked, cardboard was hardly considered a high expense commodity."

As she finished, there was complete silence. Booth was really trying not to snicker as he watched the manager's face. Clearly she had been expecting several apologies instead of the rebuke she received. The other family simply stood there in shock. The mother stood wide-eyed as she tried to comprehend how this lovely woman had so quickly changed attitudes. Brennan however stood there unfazed as she asked to see the manager's boss.

Thirty minutes and two other managers later, the three of them plus the other family had tickets to see whatever show they like to accompany the theater's profuse apologies.

* * *

A/N: Haha....she's like the ultimate customer satisfaction test.....


	24. Proper giftreceive pose

24. Proper gift-receive pose

After a nice dinner at the diner, Booth dropped off Brennan at her apartment so she could pick up her car. They had decided to spend the rest of the evening at Booth's apartment, and she wanted to be able to drive herself home. They all settled in his living room and played board games for an hour or two while they each recounted their favorite parts of the show.

It was nearing Parker's bed time when Booth produced a shopping bag that was clearly acquired at the theater. Parker immediately bubbled with excitement.

"What's in the bag?"

Booth chuckled at his eagerness. "Well I decided that since we had such a good time, I should get something for each of us to remember it by."

Brennan gave him an inquisitive look. "When did you have time to go shopping?"

He gave her a slight smirk. "That's where I disappeared to when all the drama began down in the lobby."

Parker began bouncing up and down, so Booth decided to end his suspense first.

"Ok bub, close your eyes." Parker immediately closed his eyes and held out his hands in anticipation, clearly familiar with this routine. Booth carefully placed his gift in the small hands of his son.

"Alright, you can look now."

Parker's eyes opened and brightened at the sight of the large ornament sitting in his grasp. "Oh wow, it's Simba!"

Booth beamed at Parker's reaction. "I thought we could hang it on our Christmas tree. The lion can hang out with all the reindeer and snowmen." Parker giggled and crawled up into Booth's lap to give him a hug.

"Thanks Dad!"

Booth enveloped his son and closed his eyes in contentment. "You're welcome Bub," he said with emotion.

Brennan had been watching the exchange with mixed emotions. She felt as though she was intruding, but also longed to fit into such a stable and loving family. Before she got too distracted with depressing thoughts, Parker spoke up again. "Dad, did you get something for Bones?"

Booth smirked and answered his son as if Brennan wasn't sitting two feet from them. "Of course I did. I was planning on giving it to her later tonight, though I don't know now. What do you think?"

Parker gave a look towards Brennan before returning his gaze to Booth. "I think you should give it to her now. It's silly to make her wait." Booth chuckled at his son's simple reasoning. "I guess you're right. Can you hand me the bag so I can get it for her?"

As Parker scrambled off his lap, Booth glanced to see Brennan trying very hard not to smile. One Booth was difficult enough to deal with, but the two together were positively incorrigible. Booth retrieved the bag from his son and turned to Brennan.

"'kay Bones, it's your turn. Now close your eyes."

Brennan sighed in exasperation and rolled her eyes. "Booth, surely you don't expect me to prolong the inevitable."

Booth should have been prepared for a reaction such as this, but he was surprised yet again. "I certainly do expect you to follow the rules."

Parker jumped into the conversation with complete seriousness. "He's serious. You have to close your eyes and hold out your hand." He completed his thought with conviction. "It's routine."

Booth tried very hard to keep his smile innocent as he looked from Parker to Brennan. "Bones, if you don't listen to me, you should at least listen to my son."

Brennan nearly glared at him, sensing his teasing tone. However, she looked directly at Parker. "Well since you are so adamant about the rules, I will comply." Parker nearly asked what she meant, but he figured she was agreeing when she took the correct 'gift-receiving' pose.

Booth smiled in triumph as he gave her the gift and instructed her to open her eyes. She smiled instantly at the simple African necklace. She liked the style as it resembled many of her own pieces. Lifting her eyes, she gave Booth a warm smile.

"It's beautiful and something I definitely would have selected on my own."

Booth's chest swelled at her appreciation. She looked down and carefully fingered the necklace. "You didn't need to buy this for me."

Booth reached out and gently placed his hand on her arm. "I know that, but I wanted to. Plus, basically all the money is donated to help families in Africa and I know how important things like that are to you."

It never ceased to amaze her that Booth knew her so well. "Yes they are. Now I can enjoy it even more. Thank you."

She decided that the best way to enjoy jewelry is to wear it, so she eagerly put on the necklace. Booth was pleased to see how perfect it looked on her; it was definitely the best choice of the ones he had looked at. Parker had been quietly watching the two when he noticed something.

"Bones? Aren't you going to give my dad a hug? I always give him one after he gives me something."

Booth couldn't help but appreciate his son even more when he made statements like that. He put on what Brennan had come to label as his 'cocky' smile as he waited for her response. Brennan's eyes twinkled as she drew out her answer.

"Well…I could…" She had the satisfaction of watching his smile falter ever so slightly. "But I can think of something better."

Before Booth had time to contemplate what she could mean, Brennan leaned towards him and kissed him. She filled the kiss with gentleness, trying to convey how much she cared for him. He was so used to receiving passionate and almost lustful kisses from her that the sweetness of the kiss completely caught him off guard. It vaguely registered in Brennan's head that Parker was still in the room, so she reluctantly pulled back. As she retreated, she noticed the blissful look on Booth's face. It warmed her heart to think she put that emotion there.

Booth seemed to break out of his trance to notice Parker watching him with a smile. "Ok bub, I think it's time for bed. Why don't you go change into your pj's and I'll be up there in a second."

Parker surprisingly didn't put up a fight as he scurried down the hall.

Brennan stood to leave and went to grab her coat. "Well, I suppose I should leave now so you can get Parker in bed."

Booth reached out and gently grabbed her arm. "Bones. Stay," he requested softly.

Brennan gave him a pained look. "Booth…I can't." Booth slowly stepped closer to her. "Just for a little while longer. I wanted to talk to you about something."

She swallowed nervously. "Only if it's just a few minutes." He smiled warmly at her. "Thanks. I'll just go say goodnight to Parker. I won't be long."

As Booth went to complete their nightly ritual, Brennan was left to worry about what he wanted to talk about. She was concerned that she hadn't properly watched over his son and that he was going to voice his disappointment in her. She had tried so hard to ensure that they all had a good day and as soon as he trusted her with his child, she failed completely. The thought of Booth being disappointed with her was almost too much to bear. She was startled to discover that she was nearly in tears, but when she considered that Parker could've gotten hurt because of her, it brought out emotions that she was unaware of.

When Booth walked back into his living room, he was shocked to see his beautiful date sitting on the couch, head bowed and quietly sniffling. He sat down right next to her and tried to look her in the face. His voice was quiet when he spoke. "Bones, what's wrong?"

She self-consciously wiped her nosed while she continued to hide her face. "I'm so sorry Booth."

A confused look passed over his face. "Whatever for?"

She sniffed again.

"You trusted me with your son and I betrayed your trust. You have every right to be angry with me."

Booth took her chin in his hand and turned her face so he could look in her eyes.

"What on earth are you talking about? I'm not angry with you."

Brennan blinked in attempt to clear hide her confusion. "You're not? I was certain you came to tell me that I mishandled the situation with Parker in the theater lobby. If that's not what you wanted to discuss, then what?"

Booth gave her a small smile. "Well I did want to talk about the lobby incident, but I wanted to thank you. You did an excellent job taking care of my son. You comforted him and stood up for him and I trust you completely."

She seemed to calm down at his words. "Really?" She looked deep in eyes for any signs of hesitation.

"Really." He looked down sheepishly before lifting his head with a smirk. "You went all alpha female protecting my son and honestly…it was kinda hot."

Brennan sensed a shift in the room and saw Booth's eyes darken in a way that made her pulse quicken. Never one to let an opportunity pass by, she added to the charged atmosphere and spoke in a low, sultry voice. "Well it is an anthropological fact that when an alpha male is searching for his mate, he will be attracted towards females who exhibit certain qualities. One of those qualities is the ability to protect his offspring."

He knew she was speaking with her 'squint words', but he had never heard her talk that way with _this_ particular tone. It was only making him more turned on. Everything about her seemed to be intensified right now. Her intelligence, her sexy voice, the way her body was moving towards his…he couldn't see anything in the room but her.

She watched his eyes glaze over with lust and she went in for the kill. Holding herself steady, her mouth only a whisper away, she finished her lesson. "When an alpha male happens upon a female that posses characteristics so important to him, he rarely resists the urge to claim her as his own."

It took much of her self-control to remain still as their breath mingled together. "So Seeley Booth, am I one that contains such attributes that you find…" she paused as she reached out and slowly licked the side of his mouth. "…attractive?"

He snapped…

…and lunged at her, pinning her to the couch. His eyes roamed over her face and answered her question. "Hell yes I find you attractive." He returned the sexy smirk that was plastered on her face. "I would go through a detailed list of everything that qualifies, but right now I have some more important things to focus on."

They spent the next half hour or so enjoying each other's kisses and affections before Brennan reluctantly left for her apartment.

* * *

A/N: Haha....I really enjoyed writing the end of this one. I'm so glad everyone liked the Lion King as her choice...as well as the lobby scene. She would make one scary soccer mom, that's for sure. Also, I'm going out of the country on vacation on Saturday...so unfortunately I'll have to post maybe three chapters a day. I know this all makes you upset, and I know you want me to make you wait until I come back.....but I'm finishing this before I leave. ; )


	25. Weekend Away

25. Weekend Away

The next several months proceeded in a blur. Booth and Brennan's relationship was no picnic. Their professional partnership was complex and took a lot of work to maintain. They didn't expect their personal, romantic relationship to be any different. They didn't feel the need to follow any of the normal progressions that many couples take. They discovered that their original partnership was deeper than most couples could even dream of. Finally crossing the line had turned out to be a completely natural step.

Booth had been very adamant about taking it slowly since he feared that her flight instinct would kick in. Brennan usually had been the one to initiate any significant milestone. So it came as a shock to her when he suggested that they take a long weekend trip away together. Away from the city. Away from the lab. Away from the bureau. Away from anything but each other.

He was pleasantly surprised to see how easily she agreed to the trip. She had never relented so easily when someone suggests that she take a vacation. As soon as he got her approval, he quickly made reservations at a resort in the mountains in Virginia. Not since he had taken Parker to Disneyworld had he been so excited about a vacation.

It was now the Wednesday before their trip. With an obvious bounce in his step, Booth reached the Jeffersonian platform where Angela was perched on a stool with her artist's sketch pad. She had a knowing look on her face as she addressed Booth.

"So G-man, you excited for your bid weekend?"

His eyes twinkled as he answered her. "Oh, you have no idea."

She snickered at his response. "I think I can imagine." Her eyes focused on him a little more. "This is a big step for you two. First trip away together. You worried at all?"

He put his hands in his pockets and leaned back to contemplate his thoughts. "I'm definitely not worried about myself. I never thought I would be in this place, but I am more than ready to continue going forward." This didn't surprise Angela at all. Between the two partners, Booth would always be the rock for Brennan.

Angela smirked at him. "Well we were never really worried about you. What about Brennan?"

Booth's eyes shifted to Brennan's office. "Bones…she hasn't reached this stage in many of her relationships. I think she really wants that deeper commitment. She hasn't been holding back because I haven't given her any indication that I'm leaving. We haven't hit that first major crisis as a couple yet. That's when we'll really find out where she's at."

"Booth, I'm right here."

Booth turned to see his beautiful partner standing at the top of the stairs, one hand on her hip, on hand holding a file, and a cheeky grin on her face. She noticed his eyes light up as he saw her and his charm smile grew even larger.

"Hiya Bones." She walked teasingly close to him before she passed him to type on a computer. "What are you doing here Booth? It's too early for lunch and you don't seem to contain the urgency usually associated with a new case." Her words seemed slightly harsh, but the tone clearly indicated she was teasing.

He waited for her to turn back around. "Well I just stopped by to talk to my partner. You know…see if she had any good plans this weekend." He gave her a charm smile and a distinct wink.

At the beginning of their newly defined relationship, Brennan had insisted, and Booth had reluctantly agreed, to refrain from showing their personal relationship while they were at work. Since then, Booth had started winking at Brennan to remind her of his affections. AS a result, Brennan's heart fluttered every time he did it and she made certain to send him a smile that was just for him. Angela watched with glee at their exchange; it was a wonderful example of their infamous silent communication.

Brennan finally remembered that Booth had asked her a question and that she was expected to respond. "I seem to recall my boyfriend inviting me on a 'weekend getaway.'"

Angela snickered at their other common method of keeping things professional, speaking in the 3rd person about their dates. Booth was more than happy to keep up pretenses. "Is that right? When was the last time you took off for vacation? He must be pretty special for you to agree to that."

He was in full cocky mode right now. Brennan managed not to roll her eyes in annoyance while Angela held no reservation in doing so. "Well he certainly seems to think so. I admit I have a hard time keeping his ego in line." She crossed her arms in faux defense. "I'm surprised you haven't run a background check on him. You're typically more reticent towards my suitors. You seem to be more relaxed in reference to my protection than usual."

Booth wasn't one to back down while they were bickering; it was one of the main reasons he was attracted to her. "Actually, I would say that I've recently become even more concerned about keeping you safe. It just seems that being in this relationship has been good for you. I only want what's best for my partner."

Just as Brennan was poised to make her rebuttal, Booth's phone rang. Angela didn't miss the flash of disappointment that ran across both their faces.

Booth quickly answered. "Booth…yes Sir…at the Jeffersonian…for paperwork…" Brennan almost believed him. "Yes Sir…I understand…twenty minutes."

Booth sighed as he put his phone away. "Well ladies, it seems I must cut my visit short. Cullen needs to see me."

He looked directly at Brennan. "Dinner tonight?"

"At seven."

"Sounds good."

They held their gaze for a few moments, communicating what they couldn't say at the moment. "Okay, I'm outta here." He started walking down the stairs. Angela figured he forgot she had even been there.

"Bye Studly!"

She was awarded with a deep, generous laugh. "Bye Angela!"

Angela looked at her friend who appeared to be reading a file, but had an unusually large smile on her face. "You're one lucky woman Bren."

She responded without looking up. "I know Ange."

* * *

Brennan was sitting in her office, filling out endless paperwork when her phone rang. She grinned when she recognized Booth's number.

"Hey Booth."

He greeted her with a defeated tone. "Hey Bones."

She instantly stiffened at his strained tone. "What's wrong?"

"I'm going to have to miss dinner tonight. Cullen needs me for something."

That excuse was not nearly descriptive enough for her. "Is it a new case? Do you need me to identify a body?"

He quickly responded. "No, no. It's not a case like that. The FBI is trying to finish up a three month, high profile investigation. It should be wrapped up this evening."

Brennan was still slightly confused. "Why does Cullen need you if it isn't your case?"

"Well the lead investigator won't be available, and he needs me to take command."

She sensed he was specifically not saying something. "You're purposefully withholding information from me." She heard him sigh dejectedly, but he didn't explain further. Her eyebrows furrowed together. "Booth…tell me." On the other end of the phone, he smirked gently at her growing intuition.

"You're getting too good at reading me Bones. The lead investigator, Agent Stevens, was shot earlier this morning while he went to question the main suspect. Cullen's been briefing me since I left you this morning. We have to move quickly and it doesn't appear to be an easy task. The target group is pretty volatile and isn't afraid to use serious firepower."

"Oh," was her only response. As she listened, she actually became nauseous as the implications became clear. Booth's gentle voice came over the line.

"Temperance…I didn't want you to worry."

This was the first time he had really been in a dangerous situation since they started dating and Brennan didn't know how to behave. "I logically understand that worrying will not change the outcome, but I suspect I won't be able to refrain from doing so."

It was slightly comforting to him to know she would be worried, that he had someone to worry about him. "I know. I just didn't want to go out without talking to you."

She tried to keep her voice light. "Thanks for telling me. Call me the moment you can."

He steadied his voice as he responded.

"I promise."

She wouldn't wish him luck or send him with a prayer, so she offered what she could. "Be safe. I love you Seeley."

He closed his eyes as her words washed over him.

"I love you too Temperance."

It wasn't the first time they had spoken those words, but as they hung up they couldn't help but think that it might be the last.


	26. A Ruined Weekend

26. A Ruined Weekend

It had been nothing but chaos since they entered the warehouse. The group had been much larger than they had anticipated and were incredibly well equipped. Booth and his men had managed to overtake most of the group without any serious injuries and had cornered the remaining few into a large room.

Only a few more minutes of carefully executed moves and the whole ordeal would be over. Booth picked out his five men and four of the shooters. One of the remaining men was the proclaimed leader, Mark Spectre. If Booth could simply get a clean shot, he was certain the others would fold.

Booth looked to his left and saw Agent Fischer in a precarious position. He was a fairly new agent and Booth had been keeping a careful eye on him. Apparently Spectre saw the same scene as a prime opportunity. He quickly circled around to attack the young agent from behind. Booth barely hesitated as he shouted to Spectre to distract him. Unfortunately he had also given away his position and he felt the bullet only seconds later. However, Spectre had opened himself for a shot and Booth winced as he took his target out.

After he saw the man go down, Booth slumped forward and rolled on his back. The first image that came to his mind were sparkling blue eyes and how angry they would be when she found out he wasn't going to keep his promise. As he blacked out, he hoped she would forgive him.

* * *

It was 9pm and Brennan and Angela were sitting in Brennan's office, Brennan on the computer and Angela reading a familiar novel. Angela had forcibly shut Brennan in her office after hearing about Booth's mission. Brennan had been reluctant to share what she knew, but after making two of her graduate students cry, Angela eventually found out what was wrong.

Angela was now keeping her distracted by making her do paperwork. She was simultaneously comforting her friend with her presence and also allowing her to handle the situation by closing herself off. Angela knew it was a strange and delicate balance that many did not understand.

They had both been sitting so quietly for so long that they both jumped when the phone broke the silence. Brennan immediately grabbed the phone.

"Booth?" Angela's heart broke a little at the obvious concern radiating from her friend. Brennan's concern only increased when the voice answered. The only voice she needed to hear from was Booth's.

"No, Dr. Brennan. This is Cullen. Agent Booth has been injured; you need to come down here."

Only one thought ran through her mind.

"Which hospital?"


	27. A Declaration

27. A Declaration

Booth had suspected that when Cullen had handed him his newest mission that all would not end well. The vicious pain coursing through his left shoulder confirmed that his gut feelings were right once again. He refused to open his eyes and get a visual confirmation that he was indeed lying in a hospital bed.

Several distasteful thoughts ran through his mind as he lay there. One…he didn't relish the amount of paperwork that would need to be filled out as a result of the gun fight. Two…he would undoubtedly have to suffer through a month or so of intense physical therapy before being cleared for active duty. Three…

His thoughts were interrupted as he heard Brennan shouting at some nurse down the hall.

Bones.

Oh God.

In his drug-induced state, he had somehow forgotten about his partner and girlfriend. An amazing amount of conflicting emotions flew through him. He was desperate to see her, but he was completely terrified of her reaction. This was the crisis that would inform him of how she was going to handle their relationship.

He heard her walk into his room and it was impossible to keep his eyes shut; he simply had to see those crystal blue eyes. Her head was down when she passed through the doorway, but it snapped up as she _felt_ his gaze on her. Brennan had been waiting six hellish hours to see his chocolate eyes.

The doctors had informed her that Booth was not in any serious danger. As far as gunshots went, it was pretty clean, not damaging anything essential. Logically she knew that the medication had kept him sleeping to aid his healing, but she discovered her scientific reasoning wasn't very reassuring to her in this case.

After gazing at each other for a few minutes, she finally spoke in a soft whisper. "Booth, you're awake."

He smiled softly, still unsure of her thoughts. "Hey Bones."

She remained frozen in place, just inside the door. He held out his hand, palm up, silently asking her to come to him. For a split second, something flashed in her eyes. Possibly a fear of abandonment. Possibly a desire to run.

It was gone too quickly for Booth to get an accurate reading. Brennan crossed the room and sat in the chair next to his bed. She looked at his hand, his invitation to reconnect, and hesitantly intertwined her fingers with his.

When her eyes made their way back to his face, he simply had to speak. "I'm sorry I broke my promise." Brennan swallowed slowly and his heart ached to see the tears swimming in her eyes. Annoyed with herself, she blinked back the tears and was determined to reassure him.

"It doesn't matter Booth. You need to sleep now." With deliberate care, she squeezed his hand. "I'll be here when you wake up."

He felt himself relax at her simple declaration. As he focused on her soft hand in his, he drifted off to sleep knowing that things weren't perfect, but she wasn't going anywhere.


	28. Home?

28. Home?

She had indeed been there when Booth woke up and he had been basically giddy with relief. Brennan had spent most of Thursday criticizing nurses and demanding to see doctors along with his x-rays. Booth for his part had been in a relatively good mood, charming nearly everyone in sight. Despite Brennan's seemingly normal behavior, he knew that she was holding something back. He hadn't pushed her on the issue, but he was going to have to at least bring it up soon.

It was now Friday and Booth was expected to be released that afternoon. Brennan was currently sitting gingerly on the bed next to Booth while they watched mindless daytime television. Deciding that she might actually be burning brain cells trying to follow the plotline, she turned to watch Booth.

His eyes were fixed on the screen but she suspected he was focused on something else. His eyes were sad and there was a slight pout on his lips. She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.

"Booth, what's wrong? I would have thought that you would be elated to leave the hospital."

She broke him from his thoughts and he responded. "Oh I'm definitely glad to get out of here." He reached down to hold her hand. "But I'm just disappointed that our weekend away was ruined."

Her face relaxed with understanding. "Well, it may not be exactly as we planned, but…"

She was interrupted by Director Cullen knocking on the doorframe. "Agent Booth."

"Yes Sir?"

Cullen was amused to see the partners looking slightly guilty at their close proximity and Brennan began moving off the bed. He held his hand up to stop her. "Please, as you were."

She thanked him as she settled back into her partner. Booth tried not to smile when he snaked his arm around her waist. Inwardly Booth was ecstatic that Cullen approved of their relationship. He focused back on the fact his boss was standing before him.

"So what brings you here to see me?"

Cullen grinned and stuck his hands in his pockets. "Well I stopped by to once again thank one of my best agents for a job well done on his last assignment. I also came to inform you that after the physical therapist stops by, you are free to go. Then you can head off for your week long vacation as requested by your partner. After which you will need to have an appointment to assess the state of your shoulder. Once we get the results from that, we'll go from there."

Cullen watched as his agent processed the information he had been given. Clearly he hadn't been filled in on many of the details of his upcoming schedule. He shook his head at the two unusual partners.

"Well I have a meeting I need to get to. Hope you enjoy your week off with the good doctor." He gave Booth a quick wink and started walking out the door.

Booth turned to look at Brennan's neutral face and finally responded to his superior.

"Thank you sir, I'm sure I will."

Brennan finally met Booth's gaze. He smirked at her and simply asked her a question. "So, a week off huh?"

She maintained her logical façade. "Well you certainly wouldn't be able to go back to work after an injury like this."

He smiled as he pulled her closer.

"That's true, but it sounded as if I was going to be taking off a week…to go somewhere…with you. I seem to recall only making reservations for a long weekend."

Brennan looked down at her hands and began rambling.

"Well I was able to attain a refund for the reservations. I also spoke with Director Cullen and Cam to make arrangements to take a week off. Then I proceeded to talk to my father and inquired about using his lake cabin for approximately ten days. It has similar landscape as the resort and qualifies as fairly secluded. I assumed it would be an acceptable substitution. If, however, I was wrong in that assumption, we don't have to…"

Booth finally reached out and silenced her with his fingers on her lips. He was touched that she went through so much trouble to keep him happy. "Bones, that sounds perfect. I look forward to spending an entire week with you."

He watched her relax just a bit further as he moved his hand to caress her cheek. As they got lost in each other's gaze, he hesitated to ask her the question that had been bothering him for two days.

"Are we ok?"

She immediately tensed and he gently stroked his thumb across her cheekbone. "I know that brain of yours has been working overtime about something. I need you to talk to me about it; I can't always read your mind, Temperance."

Closing her eyes, she sighed deeply as she realized that she hadn't done a very believable job of appearing in control. Leaning into his hand to draw strength, she opened her eyes. He deserved to know what she was thinking, but she couldn't articulate it yet.

"I have been thinking; a lot has happened recently." She continued with determination. "I _will_ talk to you, just not yet. I still need time to sort through everything."

Her honesty and sincerity was all he needed to hear to calm his nerves. "Ok Bones. I won't push you. I just wanted to remind you that I'm here."

His words were such a comfort to her. So many people couldn't comprehend that it took time for her to process emotions and their resulting consequences. Booth understood her and never judged her. It was one of the many reasons she respected him. The moment between them lingered and she didn't want to leave. She took the hand that was resting on her face and held it between them.

"I love you Booth."

He gave her a warm smile and responded. "I love you too Bones."

A few moments later, they were interrupted by a rather tall man clearing his throat. He introduced himself as the physical therapist, Dr. Seth Seaford. He reminded Booth of a California surfer and was instantly at ease from his relaxed manner. Dr. Seaford went through some simple details and then began slowly rotating Booth's arm. Brennan watched with interest as the two men discussed local sports while going through the exercises. Booth hardly flinched even though his arm must have been rather sore.

Before Booth realized it, they had finished the routine. He tried out his arm and looked with awe at the doctor. "Wow, it doesn't feel too bad, considering. Usually by the end of the first session, I'm seriously considering shooting my doctor." He gave Dr. Seaford a grin. "You're good; I'm going to remember you."

The man simply chuckled. "Well, thank you. I find people perform the exercises better when they are relaxed and not focused on the pain. Though I will say that I went easy on you since it is the first day. It's bound to get worse from here on. Do you have someone to help you, to push you?"

Booth indicated his partner. "I'll be on vacation with Bones here. I'm sure she's planning on running through them with me." The doctor turned to Brennan. "Yes, I did notice you were paying close attention earlier. Certain movements will be much more difficult for him than others. You shouldn't be afraid to hurt him a bit."

The doctor was only being thorough, but Booth was certain that Brennan was going to give him a harsh correction concerning her expertise. However, she surprised him.

"Thank you for your concern that Booth receives proper treatment. I have studied anatomy and physiology and know from personal experience," she paused to look at Booth, "that often one must endure intense pain in order to properly heal."


	29. Fantasies

29. Fantasies

Booth gingerly stepped out of Brennan's car to look at the cabin they would be spending their vacation in. It seemed that the term 'cabin' wasn't a very accurate description. The place was enormous. He was further impressed as he walked through the house. It bothered him that he had to let Brennan carry in the luggage, but she hadn't even given him the chance to argue earlier. As he walked out on to the deck and saw the lake stretched out before him, he made a mental note to thank Max for buying such an incredible place and letting them use it. Booth grinned as he imagined coming up here with Parker; he'd have to think about that a bit later.

It was starting to get dark and Booth realized the long drive had exhausted him. Brennan insisted that he take some medication, then go to bed. She assured him that she would join after she did some writing.

Booth woke up late the next morning. He stretched lazily before the pain in his arm alerted him of its stiffness. Looking at the other side of the bed, he saw it was empty but had been slept in. He couldn't remember Brennan climbing in or out of bed, so the drugs must have been working.

Having missed waking up to her smile, he went in search of his partner. He reached the kitchen and discovered a note. It informed him that she was out getting groceries and that he needed to take some more pills.

After following her directions, Booth decided a shower was in order. The task was slightly difficult, but he managed. His next thought was to shave, but unfortunately the shower had stolen much of his energy already. He briefly considered letting Brennan give him a shave when she returned. However, as an image popped into his head, his mind started to wander. Quickly he realized that getting a shave from Brennan had become an unforeseen fantasy.

A second look in the mirror indicated another day of facial hair probably wouldn't kill him.

He threw on some sweats and decided to venture out to the patio and relax. Forcing himself to clear his mind was difficult because Temperance's behavior was making him nervous. He would give her two days, then insist that she give him some indication of what was swirling around in that beautiful head of hers.

Booth was so focused on _not_ thinking that when she sat down next to him, he flinched. She chuckled at his reaction. "I would have thought that a vacation would calm your nerves, not put you on alert."

He visibly relaxed at her teasing. "Well I think I was trying too hard to relax. I'll have to work on that, but right now I'll help you out with the groceries." He stood up and offered her his hand.

"I already put them away. There's nothing for you to do," Brennan replied.

Looking slightly ashamed, he bowed his head. "Oh…you should have come and gotten me. I would have helped. You don't have to do everything for me."

Her face softened. "Booth, I am more than capable of completing basic household chores without bothering you. You are always trying to take care of me, let me reciprocate when you need me."

Booth saw the truth in her words, which didn't surprise him. "Yeah, I see your point. I'm just not used to it." Taking her hand to raise her from her chair, he continued. "Thank you for being here with me."

She raised her hand to his cheek. "You're welcome Booth."

They stood there for a moment, and she noticed the roughness of his stubble as she caressed it. Her brows wrinkled in confusion. "Why didn't you shave this morning?"

He absently rubbed his chin. "Oh that…I was pretty wiped out after my shower and my shoulder makes it a little difficult."

"Hmm…" She thought for a second. "Well if it's bothering you, I could always give you a shave myself."

He quickly stepped away from her and her soft hands. "N-no, that's not necessary." She put her hands on her hips. "Booth, we just discussed how I'm supposed to help you when I can."

He rubbed the back of his neck, which she had noticed was a nervous habit of his. "Um…well…that's not really the reason I don't want you to…"

She shook her head in frustration. "Well then, what _is_ the reason?" He clearly hesitated before answering.

As he was stalling, her mind worked furiously to read his expression. She was getting better at understanding him, she just needed to survey his reactions. He was clearly picturing something in his mind. His eyes had darkened and his breathing had become quick and shallow, which she knew indicated that he was becoming aroused.

Suddenly it clicked in her head. The thought of her giving him a shave was particularly appealing to him in a way he wasn't particularly comfortable with admitting. It seemed that even when they were in a relationship together, he insisted on being a perfect gentleman. She was excited to learn of a weakness, and she planned on taking advantage of it.

Booth saw the moment she figured it out and then noticed the gleam in her eyes. With a smirk on her face, she started walking towards him and to his dismay he retreated with every step. He actually felt like she was stalking him and he was being backed into a literal corner.

"So," she said with authority, "…you find the thought of a woman giving you a shave sexually enticing."

Booth gave her credit for not even posing it as a question; she had read him like a book. She continued. "I didn't think you would admit to having those kind of fantasies."

As his back hit the edge of the deck, he put up his hands to try and prevent her from coming any closer. She complied, but it was clear that it was not due to intimidation. Booth cleared his voice to try and gain some control over the situation.

"I would like to clear up some discrepancies in those statements. First of all, Bones, not just any woman would fulfill that requirement. In fact, the thought hadn't really crossed my mind until I considered you specifically."

At this admission, Brennan beamed and made another advancement towards him. "Well Booth, I'm flattered." She easily maneuvered around his outstretched arms and placed her hands on his chest, slowly drawing patterns on his shirt.

Booth moved his now useless hands to the railing beside him and looked up as he tried to remember the points he was trying to make.

"Secondly…uh…secondly, I wouldn't really consider getting a shave the type of fantasy you're implying. The fantasies that I think are ridiculous involve role playing and other strange illusions."

He finally returned his gaze to hers to convey the meaning of his next words. "Any time I'm with you, it's exactly that: me and you. You're exactly what I want, not some altered version of you. There are simply certain everyday situations where I find you particularly…alluring."

Brennan met his eyes and absorbed his explanation. She followed his reasoning and was pleased by the results.

"That's good to know. I understand the distinction and appreciate your insistence of staying in our current status. I have yet to have any complaints in regards to that, quite the opposite in fact." She moved slightly closer to him and let her hands wander up to the back of his neck. "Now were there any more points you wanted to make?"

Somehow his hands seemed to move to her slender waist without his knowledge. As he struggled to think in her extremely close proximity, he swallowed slowly. "Uh…yeah…lastly, I wanted to point out that I never _admitted_ anything. You figured it out all on your own." He closed his eyes with a sigh as he felt her fingers gently moving in the hair at his neck.

"Big difference," he whispered.

She smirked as she finally closed the tiny gap between them. The thought of a confident, self-assured man like Booth squirming due to her influence was rather entertaining. "Oh really? In that case, I will enjoy determining which circumstances make you so enjoyably uncomfortable. The logical procedure would be to create many different situations that may induce a positive reaction."

Booth groaned at the innumerable possibilities that leaped to his mind.

"God, woman, you are going to kill me."

Brennan gave him a light peck on the lips. "I would assume you might welcome a death such as that."

He returned her kiss with a gentle one of his own. "That may be, but currently I don't think my body will be able to handle it. Do you think we might be able to find an activity that may be a tad safer for me to handle?"

She was amazed at how quickly the mood shifted from sizzling to sweet in such a short amount of time without any awkwardness. It made her feel all 'warm & fuzzy', as Angela would say. "Did you have something particular in mind?"

Booth suddenly got shy once again, but again, it was more sweet than sensual.

"Well…," he hesitated.

She tried coaxing him. "Come on Booth, you can tell me."

He saw that she genuinely wanted to know and felt completely safe in confiding in her. "Ok, I was sort of hoping that you could read to me one of your books, but only if you really want to. Your voice relaxes me and I thought it would be nice for you to read something you wrote."

Brennan was touched by this second fantasy of his. He probably didn't consider it one, but it qualified nonetheless. In one sense, it was a fantasy of hers as well: to share something very personal with someone special and for them to appreciate it and enjoy it.

"I would love to Booth, but I don't have any of my books with me." He gave her a patented charm smile.

"No worries Bones, I always have one with me."

She visibly swooned, then cursed herself for being charmed by the smile and the statement.

* * *

A/N: haha....I enjoyed writing this one a lot.


	30. The Talk Part 1

30. The Talk Part 1

The next couple of days were spent amicably. The immediate tension had lifted ever since their little encounter on the patio. Booth was doing a superb job of teaching Brennan how to relax, and considering how much writing she was actually accomplishing, she easily caved to his suggestions. Among the quiet trees and her charming partner, Brennan found it incredibly easy to write.

Sitting with her laptop, looking out at the lake, the calm surrounding her allowed her ideas to flow smoothly. A soft laugh floated from inside where Booth was watching a show. From what she had learned, it involved seven archetypical characters embarking on an extended 'three hour tour.' According to Booth, it was a classic. She smirked as she realized that the initially innocent inspiration for her antagonist's love interest had become her muse.

Yet one more thing she didn't need to reveal to him. At some point she might finally admit that she had created a character based on him, probably when he was reticent to agree with her about something.

She managed to finish another five pages before she heard the screen door behind her open. A few moments later, her screen was blanketed in shadow. She quickly hit save and flipped her screen down.

She turned around and squinted up at the man behind her. "You wouldn't be attempting to sneak a look at my manuscript before you're allowed are you?"

Booth held his hands up in defense. "Who me?" He gave her a playful grin. "I would never."

She stood up and narrowed her eyes. "Hmm," she pondered. "I still hold reservations about your sincerity. Past behavior dictates that you are relentless in regards to my unpublished writing." Her lips curved up in a small smile. "I wouldn't put it past you to use blackmail or other persuasive measures to obtain the information you desire."

He chuckled at her opinion of him. "Well Bones, the thought hadn't really crossed my mind. But now that you mention it…" He paused for effect as all kinds of enjoyable methods of torture invaded his mind. Apparently he let his thoughts run away too long, because he missed Brennan's cunning retreat back into the house.

He caught up with her in the kitchen. "Hey, I wasn't done planning your demise."

She took some vegetables out of the refrigerator and handed Booth a bag of salad.

"Well you'll have to plan it for another night. I'll be busy making dinner."

He walked around her and got out a large bowl to put the salad in. "Aw, you take all the fun out of everything."

"What are we having?" he asked as she cut up some peppers.

She washed her knife off in the sink before grabbing an onion. "Fajitas, and there are a few pieces of chicken that can be grilled for you."

He continued to prepare the salad. "Mmm, sounds good."

Brennan continued slicing. "I'm glad you approve. And after dinner…I will be ready to talk."

He turned around and saw she was looking at him with no hesitation or fear. He smiled in confidence.

"Yeah?"

She sighed as she gazed into brown eyes.

"Yeah."

* * *

A/N: This'll be finished today, two more chapters...


	31. The Talk Part 2

31. The Talk Part 2

An hour later, clean dishes were left drying in the kitchen as Booth and Brennan faced each other on the couch. Although Booth wasn't extremely worried about the conversation, he wasn't eager to start it. He sat back and waited for Brennan to take the lead. From her facial expressions, he could tell that she was getting her thoughts organized.

Finally, she spoke. "Okay, I've had time to organize my thoughts and have come to some conclusions. But in order to convey them, I need to explain my reasoning. Some parts might not seem relevant, but it is necessary for me. It's important to me that you understand."

Booth reached over to take her hand. "It's important to me too."

Brennan took a deep breath. "Good, I need you to let me say everything without interruption. Otherwise, I might not be able to finish. Can you do that? Wait until I'm done?"

His eyes met hers with love.

"I promise that I will wait until you tell me you're done."

She accepted his oath. "Thank you."

She continued holding on to his hand. That simple contact was enough to help her make it through her speech. Any less, and she would never get the courage to start. Any more, and she might give in to more temporary indulgences. She needed to tell him some things, and it needed to be tonight.

"Lately I've been doing research concerning the role of monogamy in the animal world. It seems that roughly 3-5% of the animal population participate in some form of monogamy. However, most of that is defined as social monogamy where the animals spend their life with one mate, but often have sexual encounters with other partners."

Booth tried to not let it show on his face that he has slightly confused about this train of thought. Brennan continued to fidget in his hand as she kept explaining.

"It does seem that a few species have an exclusively monogamous relationship with one mate their entire lives. Typically, polygamous relationships are encouraged in the animal world. Males seek to have the maximum number of offspring while the female focuses on finding the perfect genetic mate."

"For these reasons, there is a significant amount of pressure to maintain a monogamous relationship. It requires that a perfect mate be found initially. Science statistically takes the pathway with less resistance and complications, hence, polygamy over monogamy."

She stopped for a moment and he suspected a change in topic rather than an ending.

"Up until a week ago, I was genuinely content with the status of our relationship, both professionally and personally. Then…you…" her grip tightened on his hand. "Then you got shot and it was _so_ much harder to see you in that hospital bed than before we were dating. I didn't know that it was going to be different this time."

Booth's heart ached to see her holding back tears. It killed him to not pull her into his arms and soothe away the pain, but he had made her a promise. After a few breaths, Brennan managed to compose herself.

"I realized that I needed to evaluate our relationship and whether or not it could progress. I knew, in vague terms, what your long-term dreams were. I also knew that my viewpoints were often in opposition with them. In my life, I have rarely seen any examples where a long-term relationship with someone ended amicably, let alone with the two people still being in love."

"Recently a good example presented itself. I don't know if you remember, but in the room across from you there was a man in his early nineties who was hospitalized because of a broken wrist. Every time I looked in his room, his wife was beside him, holding his hand. I don't know how I know, but the way she looked at him…she wasn't there out of duty. She loved him. Deeply. After all those years."

She gathered her wits as she prepared to give her finishing thoughts.

"All that being said, certain conclusions appear. I've always considered myself to be distinguishable from the common population, for various reasons. Booth, I want to be part of that less than 3% who commit themselves completely to one mate for life. I don't feel the pressure to find the perfect mate, because he's been my partner for four years."

Brennan maneuvered her hand to intertwine their fingers. "Seeley, I want to be your lifelong mate, the alpha female to your alpha male."

She sat still for a few moments while she looked at his slightly shocked face. "I'm done now," she whispered.

He swallowed deeply and blinked his eyes to regain some focus. "Wow Bones, those are some significant conclusions."

"I wouldn't have made them if they weren't," she innocently replied.

He gently smiled back at her while he searched her face and those amazing eyes. Over the past few months, her face had begun to show a deeper appreciation and commitment to him. Now she looked at him with complete love and utter adoration as she declared her desire to spend forever with him.

He honestly never thought the day would come.

Brennan had said that she had wanted a lifetime with him, but he wondered in whose terms she was speaking. To him, it would mean a wedding for sure and possibly children. For her, it meant no less commitment, but without the ring and house full of kids. There was only one way to know for sure; he had to ask for clarification.

As he considered his next question carefully, he struggled to maintain eye contact. "So, are you saying…that if I asked you, right now, to marry me…you would say yes?"

Brennan smiled at this expected question. "If you asked me right now, I would say no." He immediately frowned in confusion, so she continued. "I would say no, because I know this is not how you would want to ask me. Your romantic disposition would lead to a much more significant event than right now, and I want to let you have that."

He finally relented to his instincts and pulled her into his lap, wrapping his arms around her. Charm smile in place, he gave her a sweet kiss. "Have I told you how much I love you recently?"

She grinned foolishly. "Not specifically, no."

He hugged her even closer. "Hmm…I'll have to spend the rest of the evening doing that."

She put her arms around his neck.

"I believe that fits into my schedule," she replied.

"Good, because after tonight, you'll be on your toes waiting for me to pop the question."

* * *

A/N: I'm interested in what you all thought of her reasoning....it was fun to write that scientifically about feelings.....only 1 more to go. It'll be up sometime later tonight.


	32. Football

32. Football

The sun was shining brightly on the annual FBI picnic. It was warm without being squelching hot. Currently, most of the men were involved in a very competitive game of football. It was a tradition that used superfluous perks such as good parking spaces and Saturdays off as incentive to win. Temperance Brennan sat on the sidelines with the women who weren't agents, which consisted of office assistants, management, girlfriends and wives. Several children were chasing each other and frequently circled her chair, but she didn't seem to mind.

She looked out onto the field to see Booth standing in the center of a tight circle. He was giving direction about their next play and everyone was listening with rapt attention. He was given absolute authority during the game and his experience had led them to a slight lead over the other team.

Brennan shifted in her seat and the glint on her left hand distracted her. Two weeks of wearing the ring and she still wasn't used to it.

She smiled as she remembered how it happened. She had told him that she didn't want him to be disenchanted in how they got engaged. That was a completely true statement. However there was a small part of her that had wanted him to plan some sort of elaborate and overtly romantic gesture.

She hadn't been disappointed.

She hadn't suspected anything when she had walked into the Jeffersonian. It had been quiet, but it usually was at six thirty in the morning. She had gone to her office to proceed through her typical morning routine of checking emails and signing paperwork. She had opened her door and was flooded with a sweet scent. Turning on the lights had revealed that her entire office was filled with daffodils and daisies; there had to have been hundreds of flowers. Brennan smiled as she remembered what happened next.

_Booth quietly walked into Brennan's office. She was standing still, just soaking up the moment. After a moment or two, she sensed him behind her and turned around._

_"Booth…" she whispered, not wanting to ruin the atmosphere. "This is beautiful."_

_Booth smiled and moved closer to her. "You, Temperance, are beautiful." He took her bags from her and set them down. "Come here," and he led her towards the center of her office._

_He stepped right up to her and cupped her face in his hands._

_"My perfect Bones. Everyday I fall more and more in love with you. Your ability to open your heart to others continues to amaze me. I'm astounded by your intelligence in more ways than one. Every time I look at you, your beauty takes my breath away. You are everything I've ever looked for and I cherish you."_

_He gently stroked her cheek and saw her holding back tears. Booth's heart was beating wildly as one of the most significant moments in his life was coming to a climax. He traced a path from her face to her hands as he stepped back._

_"I went to speak to Max last week." Brennan's eyes widened in surprise._

_"He gave me something…something he thinks your mother would have wanted you to have." He reached into his pocket, pulling out a small box and opened it._

_Brennan gasped. "My mother's ring."_

_Tears were now flowing down her face. Booth looked into her glistening eyes. "Your father wouldn't have given this to me if he didn't think I deserved you in some small way."_

_He gently took her left hand and got down on one knee. "Temperance Brennan, I love you and want to spend forever with you. Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"_

_Brennan had never considered herself a highly emotional person, but right now, her heart was fluttering and her face was wet with tears of joy. She looked down at the man who loved her and whom she loved back. She decided to finally relieve the fear in his eyes by nodding her head and squeaking out her response. "Yes."_

Brennan was knocked out of her memories by loud shouting from the field. Apparently the other team had scored a touchdown and were now ahead. Booth's team had time for only one more play. He narrowed his eyes in concentration as he walked onto the field with the rest of his offense.

Time seemed to slow down as Brennan studied her fiancé. It was stimulating to see him so focused on something; she knew what it felt like to be under that gaze. She heard him shout some numbers that didn't make sense to her, then the action began.

The ball was snapped to Booth and he stepped back. His team was holding off defenders as Booth searched for someone to throw to. He was running out of options as men started closing in on him. At the last moment, he saw a teammate open down by the pre-determined goal line. Taking a deep breath, he hurled the ball. It spiraled perfectly and landed in the arms of his receiver as he crossed the line. Touchdown.

Cheers erupted from nearly everyone at the best play of the game. Booth's team surrounded him and offered their many forms of appreciation at having won the coveted game, high 5's, headbutts, slaps on the arms, etc. Even the other team offered their congratulations.

Booth started leading everyone off the field. He had a huge grin on his face, obviously having enjoyed himself. As he began strutting towards Brennan, she didn't miss the women around her eyeing her man. She decided to clear up any confusion and started walking towards the swarm of sweaty agents.

His smile changed as he saw his Bones walking his way. She was gorgeous, confident and extremely sexy. He turned up the charm and met her halfway. No words were exchanged as she attacked him with a deep kiss. The women behind her sighed in appreciation as the men behind Booth threw out wolf whistles and cat-calls.

Finally, Brennan pulled back. Booth continued to hold her close. "Was that my victory kiss?"

She grinned at his cockiness. "No, that was me marking my territory. Those women needed to know that this alpha male is taken."

Booth laughed. "Yes, he most definitely is." He puffed up his chest dramatically. "Though I think I might have to show them again who I've chosen as my alpha female." Booth leaned in and gave her a kiss this time, actually lifting her off the ground.

They broke away breathless and realized the crowd had dispersed to go eat.

"Booth?"

"Yeah?"

"You were right. I am a textbook example of an alpha female." She smiled up at him.

Booth pumped his fist in the air at her admission. "Haha! I knew it!"

She chuckled at his victory cheer. "You know what else?"

"What?"

"This alpha female has found her perfect alpha male."

THE END

* * *

A/N: Hope you all enjoyed this fun little story. I'll have something new to post when I get back from Scotland.


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